Hi M ^ M ^H 

111 nillllll 

■^— i 

fflm WM 

HI 

H I 








HI am HI 







■ KIH1 

1 HHIlIHral 



■ ■■-. 









+± ■$ 



.V, %$' : j C i: \ 









o o x 




























'^ V c 


















xP ^ 















a9 






1^ V * 



A* 












'^o x 



tf ^ 










V* 




























•a 



FIVE YEARS 



f m iMf< 




BRAZILIAN GENTLEMAN AND LADY. 



BY DAVID A. HAZEN. 



PHILADELPHIA: 

WILLIS P. HAZARD, 178 CHESNUT STREET. 

1854. 



FIVE YEARS 



BEFORE THE MAST, 



Jlifefy % Jofec^fle 



ABOARD OP 



A WHALER AND MAN-OF-WAR, 



^cob H. Jf^zeij. 



Slitf) ^Appropriate Illustrations. 



WILLIS P. HAZARD, 178 CHESNUT STREET, 

PHILADELPHIA. 

1854. 



Q5* 



' 



,^ 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by 

WILLIS P. HAZARD, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District 
of Pennsylvania. 



■r%,,m^^ 






TO THE 

HONORABLE JAMES POLLOCK, 

LATE JUDGE OF THE EIGHTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 

OF THE 

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, 

THESE PAGES ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, 

BY HIS SINCERE FRIEND, 

JACOB A. HAZEN. 
Muncy, Pa., October 12th, 1853. 



6otyfeyjls« 



PAGE 

CHAPTER I. 

In which the reader will discover that the best remedy for 
"hard times' , is to go to sea, 13 

CHAPTER II. 
Voyage to Sag Harbor, and Adventures on Long Island, 34 

CHAPTER III. 
First appearance on the Atlantic ocean, and visit to Fayal, 58 

CHAPTER IV. 

Containing something the writer never knew until he went 
to sea, 75 

CHAPTER V. 

In which the writer makes further progress in his cruise, 
and discovers that fortunes are not more rapidly reali- 
zed at sea than on land, 92 

CHAPTER VI. 

In which the writer, without being shipwrecked, finds 
himself unexpectedly cast away upon a foreign land, 108 

i* (T) 



vi Contents. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER VII. 

The Jour. Shoemaker, having abandoned the sea, estab- 
lishes himself in the capital of Brazil, «.... 122 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Jour. Shoemaker, bidding good-bye to the bench, takes 
again to salt water, and is sent on board a ship against 
his own consent, 140 

CHAPTER IX. 

The adventurer introduces himself on board an American 
man-of-war, and becomes a member of " Uncle Sam's 
Mess," 157 

CHAPTER X. 

In which the Jour. Shoemaker finds himself overreached 
by a Commodore, and seeks his revenge in a diplomatic 
despatch to Uncle Sam, 177 

CHAPTER XL 

A very short chapter, in which the Jour's diplomacy be- 
gins to thicken, 197 

CHAPTER XII. 

In which the adventurer becomes a heathen, and after be- 
ing visited in vain by a Boston missionary, is introdu- 
ced to the cat-o'-nine tails, \ 208 



Contents. vii 

PAGE 

CHAPTER XIII. 

In which the Jour. Shoemaker is promoted to the rank of 
ship's pedagogue, 227 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Wherein the reader will discover that a man-o'-war sailor 
is liable to fall in love as well as to fall in battle, 245 

CHAPTER XV. 

In which the Jour. Shoemaker finds himself destined for 
a distant portion of the world, 264 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Voyage to Gibraltar, 280 

CHAPTER XVII. 

In which the adventurer, by interesting himself in a 
mutiny, meets with rather rough treatment, 305 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

In which our mechanic sailor sees a good deal of stormy 
weather, and gets a peep at Mount Etna,. 325 

CHAPTER XIX. 
A Yankee mechanic on a sailor's beat, in Naples, 343 

CHAPTER XX. 
Adventures at Port Mahon, 367 

CHAPTER XXI. 
In which the adventurer abandons the mess-room of 



viii Contents. 

PAGE 

Uncle Sam, and takes up a brief residence on the Island 
of Minorca, !. 393 

CHAPTER XXII. 

In which the adventures of our young mechanic draw 
towards a close, 414 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Containing the writer's final leave of the reader, as well 
as of his mistress, 439 



Jiref $ce« 



The original articles forming a portion of the material 
out of which this volume is compiled, were partly drawn 
up by the writer during the year 1842, shortly after 
obtaining his discharge from the navy. The idea of 
writing a book was then altogether foreign to his inten- 
tion, as he possessed neither the time nor the inclination 
to attempt it. Subsequent events, however, as well as 
the repeated solicitations of friends, having concurred 
to stimulate him to the project, he was finally induced 
during the preceding summer, to take up his papers for 
reconsideration. Discovering in them some passages 
which he deemed sufficiently interesting to attract the 
attention of the general reader, he applied himself to 
the task of revising them, and after a few months of 
patient labor, has ventured to lay them before the pub- 
lic, in their present form. 

It is proper to observe that the names which figure 
in the pages of this journal, are those of real persons. 
This circumstance may call forth the resentment of a 

(ix) 



x Preface. 

few of our naval officers, who may fancy themselves 
aggrieved in having a small portion of their conduct 
dragged before the public. They may wince at the 
animadversions which now and then touch severely upon 
them, and may even call it abuse. But let it be remem- 
bered, that as public officers, their acts are a species of 
public property which the writer or any other citizen, 
has at all times an indisputable right to examine and 
scrutinize. Beyond official conduct, the journalist has 
not presumed to venture. He holds the sanctuary of 
private life too sacred to be wantonly invaded, and 
would be among the last to assail the character of even 
the most profligate commander, or lieutenant, out of his 
official capacity. 

It is a circumstance worthy of note, that literary pro- 
ductions from the pens of naval officers, annually find 
their way before the public, in the shape of books, some 
of which, not only reflect largely to the merits of the 
writers, but occupy a deservedly high position in the 
literature of our country. This is as it should be. But 
while these productions are emanating from behind the 
mast, with what are we greeted from before it ? While 
the officer steals * his way into public favor in a voice 
modulated to the richest tones of art, what do we hear 
from the less cultivated, though no less brave subordi- 
nate? We daily amuse ourselves with lengthened details 
of gorgeous cabin scenes — of epaulet adventures, and 
cocked hats- — of the effervescent flow of rich Burgundy 



Preface. xi 

and Champagnes ; but what do we hear from the fore- 
castle — of poor Jack, his rye whiskey , and his bean 
soup ? Not one word ! Few generous writers venture 
to speak out for him. The poor fellow seems completely 
lost sight of behind the tinseled uniform of his more 
gaudy superior ; and while we are ready to laugh our- 
selves into convulsions over the more graceful and 

voluble " d n your eyes" of the officer, we cannot 

bring ourselves to hear the half indignant sigh escaping 
in smothered whispers from the bosom of the humble 
Tar on whom it is bestowed. The present volume pur- 
ports to show up a few touches of the picture on the 
humbler side of the mast — to delineate the thoughts and 
feelings of one whose person stood in the back ground — 
of one of those whose duty it is never to speak out, but 
always to do, feel, fight, and suffer. 

How far the author may have succeeded in producing 
an interesting work, is of course, not for him to decide. 
As a mechanic, and one of the toiling million who earn 
their bread by the sweat of the brow, he is conscious 
that it must necessarily be defective — if not in subject 
matter, at least in thought, style, and composition ; for 
it is scarcely to be supposed that literary perfection 
should emanate from the work-bench, or that a common 
shoemaker or sailor — whichever you will — should write 
with the propriety and grace of an Irving. Hence, it 
will become him to keep a bright lookout ahead for 
"breakers" in the "reviews;" and should critical 



xii Preface. 

assailants pen him too closely, he will, doubtless, be 
compelled to meet them mechanically, or, in other 
words, withdraw from his desultory rambles in the 
flowery fields of literature, and betake himself once 
more to delving in the gloomy corners of his humble 
shop. However, the pungent arrows of criticism will 
not afflict him very mortally, as he is far from being a 
professional book maker, and seldom moves in that 
sphere of life where they would be likely to reach him. 



FIVE YEARS BEFOEE THE MAST. 



Cfy^pfeir fifsf. 



In which the reader will discover that the best remedy for hard 
times is to go to sea. 

I shall not enter into a history of my early life, 
as there is perhaps little in it that would prove in- 
teresting or instructive to the general reader. It 
will be sufficient to state, that like most poor boys 
of humble parentage, I was permitted to grow up 
pretty much after my own fashion, without the 
advantages of either advice or instruction. At the 
age of five years, I was placed out to earn my own 
living among strangers. Occasionally I resided at 
home, at which times I usually did much as I 
pleased, went where I pleased, and returned when 
I pleased. It had pleased my father, during my 
minority, to indent me as an apprentice, to an 
old cobbler, by whom I was, to a slight extent, 
initiated into the arts and mysteries of boot and 
shoe making ; but like most apprentices, I soon 
fancied that I knew more of the trade than my old 
master, and as soon as the idea took possession of 
my mind, I very deliberately walked off, declaring 
2 (13) 



14 Five Years Before the Mast. 

myself free and independent to all intents and pur- 
poses in law. Having learned to read a little, and 
having scratched pot hooks for eleven days at 
school, I believed myself sufficiently educated to 
push my own fortunes in the world, and accord- 
ingly at the early age of seventeen, I bid farewell 
to Muncy, Pa., the place of my nativity, and took 
my departure for parts unknown. For several 
years I continued rambling about various portions 
of the States, drifting hither and thither with the 
changing current of the times, until at the age 
of twenty-two I found myself unexpectedly lodged 
amid a regular drift pile of journeymen shoemakers, 
in the city of Philadelphia. Here I continued 
hammering away at my trade for some time, and 
would, perhaps, have made the city my permanent 
place of residence had events proved favorable. But 
unluckily, I always found my fortunes strangely 
influenced by circumstances. As they were never of 
a very stupendous character, a trifling circumstance 
was at all times enough to derange them ; but 
when any unexpected event transpired, they were 
entirely scattered at once, after which I had usu- 
ally to resort to my never failing resources, two 
hands and nine fingers, (one being cut off,) in 
order to renew them. 

The spring of 1837 set in with a prospect to the 
Philadelphians at least, of an extensive business. 
The manufacturers and merchants had commenced 
the season with high hopes and extensive prepara- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 15 

tions, and it was not until the eastern banks had 
suspended specie payments that they felt their 
expectations likely to end in disappointment. The 
New York and Philadelphia Banks soon followed 
the example of their eastern neighbors, and the 
epidemic spreading towards Baltimore and Charles- 
ton, soon extended itself throughout the whole 
Union. Then followed a panic and distress, such 
as were never before paralleled in the history of 
our country. Shinplasters soon made their ap- 
pearance, and with them came a general wreck and 
ruin of the mercantile and manufacturing business 
of the city. 

Many people of the present day, and especially 
those remote from the cities, believe that the reports 
of the havoc of business, and the distress of citizens 
that followed in the train of the bank explosions of 
1837, have been greatly exaggerated by interested 
parties, and that the distress was far less prevalent 
than represented ; but to the inquiring reader, who 
chooses to examine the records of the past, a suffi- 
cient number of lamentable and painful examples 
will present themselves to verify their truth. 

Amidst the general distress which prevailed, it 
could scarcely be expected that the shoe manu- 
facturers should stand impregnable, and indeed 
they did not. On the contrary, many of them 
were among the first to wind up their affairs, close 
their shop doors, and label them with the significant 
motto, "Gone to Texas/' My employer was 



16 Five Years Before the Mast. 

among the last to give up the ghost. He held out 
for awhile with the courage of a gladiator ; but 
the monetary cholera at last siezed upon him, and 
notwithstanding his struggles, kept cramping him 
tighter and tighter, until at the ninth hour he 
collapsed with a terrible explosion, and away went 
boots, bootees, shoes and brogans, to the busy 
hammer of the auctioneer. Myself and the rest 
of the journeymen were dismissed, an assignment 
was ma.de, the doors of the shop were shut up, and 
the establishment pronounced defunct. 

Under these adverse circumstances, what was I 
to do ? I to whom a loss of employment was a 
loss of fortune. Hunt work elsewhere, was the 
idea at first suggested ; but where the number of 
workmen is great, and the quantity of work small, 
one's chance of success is about as uncertain as a 
prize in a lottery. Two weeks were spent in fruit- 
less search of employment, and I then gave it up 
as a total failure. After a few days' intermission 
I once more ventured abroad, and called at about 
a dozen shops in the Northern Liberties, where I 
had not been before, asking if they had work to 
give, but the universal answer was "no !" I soon 
became tired of fishing about in this manner to no 
purpose, and determined to hunt round after some 
kind of amusement, w T ith which to occupy my 
thoughts, but I could find nothing which I con- 
ceived agreeable. Discouraged, disheartened, and 
moneyless — a boarding bill accumulating from day 



Five Years Before the Mast. 17 

to day, with no prospect of ever being able to dis- 
charge it — was it possible for me to feel happy and 
cheerful ? Far from it ! I felt most wretchedly 
dejected ; and as to amusements, I could think of 
none which I believed better fitted to harmonize 
with my present feelings than seeing some one 
hanged. Suiting the action to the thought, I 
sallied forth into Callowhill street, and directed 
my way to Bush Hill, where I arrived in time to 
witness the completion of a gallows, erected for 
the execution of an unfortunate young man named 
Moran. This was about the middle of May, 1837, 
not so memorable with me from the circumstance 
of a man going to be hanged for piracy, as from 
the fact that for once in my life I was unable to 
find employment. 

The execution over, the multitude gradually 
dispersed. I, with feelings little improved by the 
exhibition I had witnessed, returned leisurely to 
the city. Every thing about me appeared to bear 
a sad and cheerless aspect. The day, however, 
was clear and delightful to those who could enjoy 
it ; for the sun, in cloudless majesty, shone from 
the azure heavens, as if smiling with his most 
pleasant aspect on the beautiful, prolific, and teem- 
ing world below. 

That night I retired to enjoy but a broken and 
painful rest. The events of the day haunted me 
in my slumbers, constantly conjuring up every 

species of wild and fantastical dreams. At last 

2* 



18 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the morning arrived ; I arose with a feverish brow 
and a heated brain. 

Disagreeable as the night had been to me, it 
was still attended with one important result. It 
was while lying in a u brown study," during the 
intervals between my dreams, that I first conceived 
the project of going to sea. What put this wild 
idea into my head, I am at present unable to say. 
I never before had any inclination for a sea-faring 
life, nor had I ever looked upon a crew getting a 
vessel under weigh, but that my thoughts immedi- 
ately familiarized themselves with shipwrecks, hur- 
ricanes, and other disasters of the sea. But the 
truth is, a change seemed to have come over the 
spirit of my life. I wanted to hit upon some plan 
to make a fortune ; and as the world had hitherto 
been unfavorable to my wishes, I thought I would 
try to get out of it by going to sea. Who could 
tell what a new element might not bring forth ? 
In looking back on my land career, I perceived 
that five years had already expired since I first 
began to push my own fortunes in the world, and 
yet I had accumulated nothing. It is true that 
when I first started abroad, I had but two dollars 
and fifty cents in money, an indifferent suit of 
clothes, and one change of shirts ; I had now two 
suits of clothing, a full half dozen of linen, and 
no money. In the former case, what I had was 
clearly my own ; in the latter I was yet indebted 
to my tailor for a portion of my wardrobe, beside 



Five Years Before the Mast. 19 

owing my landlady for three weeks' boarding ; 
so that it required a nice calculation to tell if I 
were advancing or receding in worldly prosperity, 
I had, perhaps, acquired something in point of 
worldly knowledge, and improved a little in pen- 
manship and reading; but whether any of these 
added aught to my stock of wisdom, is very 
doubtful. In fact, wisdom was entirely out of the 
question with me. In all my actions and move- 
ments, there were seldom any pauses to consult 
either wisdom or prudence. I was the mere crea- 
ture of whim. Whenever I made up my mind to 
go to a new place, I was up and off at once, with- 
out pausing to reason upon the advantages or dis- 
advantages likely to result from the journey. I 
had now made up my mind to go to sea, and go to 
sea I would, Crusoe like, without any other object 
in view than the vague idea of hitting on some 
plan to make a fortune. 

After adjusting my dress, and plunging my head 
into a basin of cold water, to allay its feverishness, 
I proceeded to the shop for the purpose of putting 
my new project into execution. I now sat down 
on my work-bench to study out what plan to pur- 
sue. There w T as a man named Wrighter, who kept 
a shipping office and rendezvous, in Water street, 
below Dock, and who was at that time hunting up 
men to go on whaling voyages from New Bedford. 
To this man I thought of resorting for a berth in a 
whale ship. But, then, in my journey to the east- 



20 Five Years Before the Mast. 

ward, I would have to pass through New York, and 
my organ of self-esteem was too predominant to 
permit me to go in a beggarly manner. What was 
to be done ? I was anxious to pay up old scores in 
the city, before I left it, and this I could only do 
by selling my clothing ; and I was desirous of cut- 
ting a respectable figure in my journey to New 
Bedford, and this I could only do by retaining my 
clothing. Here was certainly not a very happy 
combination of circumstances. If I parted with 
my clothing, my appearance was likely to partake 
but scantily of the aristocratical ; and if I re- 
tained it somebody was sure to come out minus 
one half the value of it. I finally concluded to 
carry one half of my w T ardrobe to the pawn bro- 
kers, pay off my debts as far as the proceeds would 
go, and let community suffer for the balance. This 
I did immediately. I then paid my landlady's bill 
as well as my other trifling debts, and found my- 
self still in possession of a surplus fund of five 
dollars. It must, however, be borne in mind, that 
my tailor was not yet paid. His bill was nine 
dollars, and my ingenuity was of too dull a char- 
acter to manage this sum with a five dollar bill. 
I, however, thought it wrong to sink the poor 
fellow altogether, and fixed upon a plan by which 
he might be enabled to keep his head above water, 
if he felt disposed to do so. Among the articles 
which I had placed in pawn, at old uncle Mor- 
decai's, was a very fine overcoat, for which I had 



Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 21 

received nine dollars, but the real value of which 
was near twenty-five. The certificate of this de- 
posit, I sent in a letter to my tailor, with instruc- 
tions, that if he wanted what I owed him, to 
redeem the coat, and sell it for its full value, by 
which means he might obtain the principal of his 
demand, together with a handsome interest. 

Having thus arranged my financial affairs, I 
adjusted my remaining property in a hand trunk ; 
made a distribution of my tools among those of 
my shopmates who had yet employment ; bid fare- 
well to my landlady, who expressed deep regret at 
seeing me depart on my break-neck adventure, and 
took up my line of march for the rendezvous of 
Captain Wrighter. The day was far advanced by 
the time I reached the shipping office, and before 
I had completed my bargain with the captain, the 
shades of evening began to envelope the city. 
Wrighter had prepared beds for most of his salt- 
water votaries, but as I had slept ill the night 
before, I resolved for that night at least to seek 
my own lodgings elsewhere. 

On the following morning, with buoyant spirits 
and exulting thoughts, such as are generally inspi- 
red by the prospect of wild adventure in a youthful 
and romantic mind, I repaired at an early hour to 
the shipping office. Wrighter w T as already mar- 
shalling his troops for their march eastward. In 
an hour afterwards our luggage was packed in a 
hand-cart, and hauled to the ferry. The roll was 



22 Five Years Before the Mast. 

then called, and all hands being found present, we 
got on the boat, in company with the shipping- 
master, and passed over to Camden. The loco- 
motive was already letting off steam, the passen- 
gers were there, and the conductor was only 
awaiting the approach of the hour of departure to 
ring the bell. 

At this time I took, as I then thought, my last 
look at Philadelphia. Those beautiful edifices, 
streets, and public walks, that have proved the 
admiration of thousands, lay spread like a chart 
before me, but I felt no regret in leaving them. 
They had already lost all charm to me, and a 
strange joy thrilled through my heart at the pros- 
pect of quitting a place whose pomp, wealth, and 
marble structures seemed like so many mockeries 
at my own poverty and insignificance. In truth, I 
was now going to make my fortune ; all behind was 
cold, dark, and cheerless — all before me bright, 
clear, and auspicious. 

While awaiting the departure of the cars, I 
must say that I felt considerably chagrined at my 
situation. My companions, consisting of about 
twenty men, were decidedly, to my mind, the 
roughest looking set of fellows that I had ever 
fallen in with. When I cast my eyes around on 
the respectable appearance of the rest of the pas- 
sengers, and then on these, the contrast was abso- 
lutely awful ; and I began to wonder if I must 
really go to sea in the same ship with these pirati- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 23 

cal looking fellows. Besides, one half of them 
were, to all appearance, topers ; for while I was 
taking a survey of their movements, and drawing 
a comparison between their dirty, tattered gar- 
ments and my own best draft on the tailor, I saw r 
three of them empty a pint bottle of apple jack, 
Jersey lightning, or some other equally nauseous 
distillation. " Must I," said I to myself, " ride in 
the same car with these scamps?" At that par- 
ticular moment I thrust my hand into my silk 
vest pocket, and felt the five dollar bill, and for an 
instant I though of paying an additional half dollar 
for a seat in one of the first class cars ; but, upon 
second thought, I determined otherwise. "Five 
dollars," said I, "may some day have an end." 
To my companions, the most of whom looked as if 
they had seen nothing larger than a fip-penny-bit 
for the last six months, so large a sum might 
indeed have seemed a wonderful windfall, yet to 
me it appeared a sum which should be expended 
with caution. I felt that economy was becoming a 
necessary ingredient in the preservation of my 
remaining fortune. Even fortunes of five thousand 
dollars are often squandered away foolishly ; and I 
was convinced that without a due regard to pru- 
dence and economy, I might again be brought to 
poverty and want. 

At length the bell rang, and the passengers 
mounted the cars. I took good care to mount on 
the side opposite to where my companions entered. 



24 Five Years Befoue the Mast. 

A car had been provided expressly for Wrighter and 
his party, and in this we all took our seats. As 
there was an abundance of room, we were not in 
danger of being much crowded ; and I was confi- 
dent that our appearance was not of so attractive 
a character as to draw much of a crowd from the 
first class cars. For my own part, I congratulated 
myself on the dimensions of the car, as by its size 
I was enabled to occupy one corner of it in undis- 
turbed tranquillity. Here I had sat for nearly half 
an hour, beating a tattoo with the toe of my boot 
on the bottom of the car, and listening to the train 
as it rumbled along the track, when my amuse- 
ments were interrupted by the abrupt appearance 
of a bottle of whiskey, accompanied by a face 
which I had not noticed before. It occurred to me 
that my visitor must be an intruder from the first 
class cars ; but when I saw him deposit his bottle 
in a valise, and take his seat opposite to me, I was 
satisfied that he, like the rest of our party, was a fish 
caught in Captain Wrighter's net. I soon managed 
to strike up a discourse with him, in which I 
learned that his name was Hatfield ; that he was 
a carpenter by trade, and that he had been work- 
ing in Philadelphia, where the bank explosions had 
blown him sky-high ; and that, like myself, he was 
now going to sea, in a whale-ship, with the hope 
of bettering his fortunes. I soon conceived a 
fancy for my new acquaintance. His external 
appearance, together with a gentlemanly address 



Five Years Before the Mast. 25 

and ease of manners, rendered him so superior to 
those with whom we were both associated, that I 
spared no efforts in cultivating his friendship. By 
the time we reached Brunswick, we were sworn 
companions, and determined, if possible, to go to 
sea together, in the same ship. 

About three o'clock, on the 18th of May, 1837, 
we were landed at New York, on the North river 
side, somewhere above Castle Garden. Here we 
found that our shipping master, Captain Wrighter, 
was but a sub-agent for the whaling companies, 
the real agent being a man in New York, named 
Taylor, who was on the wharf, ready to receive us. 
A transfer of credentials now took place, after 
which all Mr. Wrighter's live stock, baggage, 
goods, and chattels, were delivered over to Mr. 
Taylor. This change of masters completed, and 
the premium money paid on the number of heads 
sold and delivered, Captain Wrighter bid us good 
bye, and returned to Philadelphia in the evening 
train. 

We were* now drawn up in double file for a 
march through the city, to the East river, where 
Taylor had his office. Hatfield and I, being the 
most respectable in outward appearance, were 
placed in front, while our luggage, which was 
loaded on a truck, preceded us to our new rendez- 
vous. I do not know the names of the several 
streets through which we paraded in our short jour- 
ney, but I remember distinctly of passing Holt's 
3 



26 Five Yeaks Befobe the Mast. 

Hotel. I saw several gentlemen standing on the 
outer steps of this fashionable mansion, and as 
they kept eyeing us rather sharply, I felt a strong 
inclination to ask them what they thought of the 
Pennsylvania representation to New Bedford ; but 
on looking behind, and seeing some of my rear 
companions too heavily charged to follow success- 
fully in the footsteps of their " illustrious predeces- 
sors/' I began to doubt the propriety of such a ques- 
tion, and thought that the honor of the Key-Stone 
state might, perhaps, be better sustained in Gotham, 
by absolute silence, than by a speech which might 
possibly meet with an unfavorable construction. 

On our arrival at the office of Mr. Taylor, we 
were informed that no packet would sail for New 
Bedford short of three days, and that during that 
time we were at liberty to go where we pleased, 
save that we were to present ourselves at the 
office mornings and evenings for general muster. A 
boarding house was pointed out to us, to which we 
all repaired for dinner. The eatables were certainly 
as good as could be expected by persons of our 
grade ; but there was an appearance of comfortless 
accommodation about the house, in other respects, 
that I disliked, and on expressing my dissatis- 
faction to Hatfield, I found him of the same mind. 
As night was approaching, my friend and I con- 
cluded to repair to the bed rooms, and see how 
matters stood there. We followed a servant up 
stairs, and were conducted into a large apartment, 



Five Years Before the Mast. 27 

along the walls of which, bunks were erected, one 
above the other, like shelves in a dry goods store. 
I had never before seen the like, except on canal 
and steamboats, and I confess, to meet with such 
things in a city boarding-house, was a new feature 
in my travels. I looked at Hatfield, and Hatfield 
looked at me. 

"What do you think of it, Hatfield ?" inqui- 
red I. 

" Can't go it !" was the reply. 
" Don't like to be drove to the wall, eh ?" 
" No ; if I am broke up and turned out of 
employment, I don't like to be laid on the shelf, 
altogether !" 

" Nor I either," said I, " but what will we do ?" 
Hatfield winked and nodded slyly towards the 
door, as much as to say, " There is some one list- 
ening !" The servant, no doubt, overheard our 
short colloquy ; but I cared little for that, as I had 
already made up my mind to stay in the house no 
longer than that night at most. After selecting 
a lower bunk, and placing our effects under it as a 
mark of possession, we sallied forth into the street 
and took a turn round the city. At our return, 
we were met at the door by the landlady, who told 
us not to go to bed until our companions were pro- 
vided for, and we would, perhaps, fare the better 
for it. We were highly pleased to find ourselves 
in favor with the landlady, and agreed to be 
guided by her advice. An hour elapsed before 



28 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the shelving of the other members of our party 
was completed, after which, we were led by the 
landlady, into the parlor, and treated to a glass 
of passable brandy. We were then informed that 
a l)ed was prepared for our reception, in an adjoin- 
ing room, and a servant was sent to light us to it. 
We congratulated ourselves on our good fortune, 
and Hatfield remarked that our luck was due 
to our clothing, rather than to our persons. I 
was somewhat of the same opinion ; for this was 
not the first time a good suit of clothes had been 
instrumental in procuring me the attention of 
strangers. 

We went to bed with light hearts, anticipating 
pleasant dreams and a comfortable night's rest; 
but, alas ! how often do the most sanguine hopes 
and proud expectations of the delighted enthusiast 
end in disappointment and vexation ? Was the 
room haunted, or had the infernal spirits combined 
to drive us from our resting place ? I felt that 
there was something wrong about us ; and though 
not a believer in ghosts and hobgoblins, I was, 
nevertheless, satisfied that the bed was troubled 
with something more than human. To ascertain 
the cause of this unexpected disturbance, I passed 
my hand rapidly along the sheet, and felt my 
finger come suddenly in contact with a creeping 
body. A slight pressure sufficed to overcome the 
obstacle, and the smell which greeted my olfac- 
tories, satisfied me of a visit from an inferior genus 



Five Years Before the Mast. 29 

of the animal kingdom. Hatfield, I perceived, 
from his restlessness, was as busily occupied in 
fighting off his assailants as myself. He rolled, 
tossed, kicked, and swore, and in his rage, wished 
the whole city of Gotham, and all its inhabitants, 
to the dominions of Pluto. At last the morning 
dawned, and we were not slow in removing our- 
selves from the scene of strife. The bed was 
literally strewed with the dead and dying, while 
our shirts presented huge blotches of blood, where 
the unfortunate victims of the midnight battle had 
weltered in their dying gore. 

" Well, Hatfield," said I, as we were dressing 
ourselves, " we can safely say, that for once in our 
lives, we have slept in a big-bug bed !" 

"Yes!" replied he laughing, "and lodged in a 
big-bug house too. But if we are to lodge in this 
place two nights longer, I am decidedly in favor 
of having the big-bugs and ourselves placed in 
separate apartments." 

" I shall certainly vote in favor of such a change, 
in this instance," said I; " although, in general, 
I am not in favor of dividing society into castes !" 

"Nor I either,'' answered Hatfield, "where 
there exists a community of thoughts, tastes, and 
feelings, but these infernal parasites batten on the 
very best blood of the democracy !" 

" True ! I wonder how our new boss, Mr. Tay- 
lor, would have rested, in a similar predicament?" 

"As comfortable as a pickled herring." 
3* 



30 Five Years Before the Mast. 

"Indeed," said I; "don't you think he'd have 
floundered a little ?" 

" Not he, indeed,'* replied Hatfield, laughing ; 
" he's too lean. They could have made no more 
impression on his withered hide, than on the shell 
of a stuffed alligator !" 

After breakfast, we repaired to Peck Slip, to 
attend muster at the shipping office, but found no 
one there. We lounged around the slip till near 
dinner time, when we were greeted with the appear- 
ance of Taylor, who arrived at his office with 
another party of men, from somewhere in Jersey. 
Hatfield immediately informed him of our desire 
to change our boarding-house, and asked permis- 
sion to hunt one to suit ourselves. 

" What is the matter with the one where you 
are ?" asked Taylor. 

" There are too many blood-suckers about it," 
answered Hatfied, with a smile. 

" They must be of your own party, then," said 
Taylor ; " I never heard of any one being sucked 
out of any thing there." 

"He has reference to the bed-bugs," interposed 
1, perceiving that the shipping-master misunder- 
stood my companion's meaning. 

"Bed-bugs!" echoed Taylor. "Do the bed- 
bugs disturb you?" 

" Yes, sir/' answered Hatfield ; "they are regu- 
lar horse-leeches ; they have leached me out of at 
least half a gallon of my best blood !" 



Five Years Before the Mast. 81 

" Impossible !" ejaculated Taylor. 

"A fact," continued Hatfield; "if you don't 
want to be put to the expense of burying two men 
before two days, you had better grant our request." 

" Nonsense V 9 replied Taylor; "you are only 
joking !" 

" Joking !" exclaimed Hatfield ; " if you cannot 
believe my statement, let the evidence of your own 
eyes convince you!" and pulling off his coat, my 
friend exhibited his shirt sleeves, while a general 
laugh burst from the men who were gathered 
around. 

The shipping-master regarded the bloody sleeves 
with an astonishment half comic, half serious, and 
as if at last satisfied that the stains were really 
caused by blood, leered very searchingly into the 
eyes of Hatfield. * 

"Young man," said he, "are you not sometimes 
in the habit of getting drunk?" 

"Why do you ask that question V 9 inquired my 
friend. 

"Merely because I think you've been a little 
tight, and fallen into a butcher's stall," said 
Taylor. 

To sustain the veracity of my friend, I exhibi- 
ted my sleeves, and when Taylor found the evi- 
dence in favor of bed bugs was irrefutable, he 
gave us leave to hunt a boarding-house wherever 
we pleased. 

My friend and I now wandered forth into the 



32 Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 

city, and were not long in finding lodgings more 
agreeable to our taste. On our return to Peck 
Slip, after our trunks, we were met by Taylor's 
clerk, who had been sent to request our presence 
at the shipping office. On arriving at the office, we 
were informed by Taylor, that he had just received 
a letter from Sag Harbor, requesting him to send 
six men to that place, to fill out a ship's company 
for a man named Mulford, and desired that Hat- 
field and I should go there. I objected to this 
arrangement on the grounds that I had agreed 
with Mr. Wrighter to go to New Bedford, and to 
that place I must accordingly go. Taylor, how- 
ever, insisted on having us go to Sag Harbor. He 
said the men to whom he wished to send us, were 
particular friends of his, and he was desirous to 
send them respectable looking men, and for that 
reason had selected us. He doubted not but that 
we would be better suited there than at New Bed- 
ford. This bit of flattery bore but little weight 
with me. I believed this sudden change, on the 
part of Taylor, the result of some selfish view, or 
that he merely wished to shake us off, thus hastily, 
because we were dissatisfied with his boarding- 
house. Hatfield was content to go, provided the 
opportunity of going to sea was as favorable from 
Sag Harbor as from New Bedford. Taylor assu- 
red us that we need have no fears on that head, as 
there were some fifteen ships at that port, the most 
of which were there preparing for sea. At last I 



Five Years Before the Mast. 33 

told him, if he would pledge his honor that he was 
using no deception in urging us thither, I would 
consent to go. This he readily did, and in half 
an hour afterwards our traps and fixtures were 
deposited on board a schooner lying at Peck Slip 
wharf. 



Cfj^jrfei 1 Second. 



Voyage to Sag Harbor, and Adventures on Long Island. 

It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of a 
beautiful May day, when our schooner cast loose 
from the wharf, and glided gracefully up the East 
river, in the direction of Blackwell's Island. For 
the space of an hour I found amusement in specu- 
lating on the appearance of the beautiful country- 
seats that adorned the banks of the river on either 
side. Hatfield had located himself on the heel 
of the bowsprit, and seemed lost in the solution 
of some absorbing mental difficulty. Our four 
companions, who partook equally of the land and 
of the water in their appearance, had spread their 
bodies, as well as their bedding, down the main 
hatch, and were in the full enjoyment of a com- 
fortable snooze, while the crew of the schooner, in 
the meantime, were busily occupied in clearing up 
the decks of the vessel for sea. Hatfield, at last 
arousing himself from his reverie, proposed that 
we should go below, and see what was going on 
there. 

On entering the cabin we found that the sum 
total of the passengers amounted to only four 
besides ourselves. They consisted of three gentle- 
(34) 



Five Years Before the Mast. 35 

men and a young lady. The lady's father, an 
elderly farmer from some part of Long Island, sat 
on the larboard side of the cabin, listening atten- 
tively to a middle aged politician, an opponent of 
Jackson's administration, who was belaboring the 
old hero most soundly. Occasionally the old far- 
mer endeavored to twist in a word in defence of 
the old general, but it was instantly swept away by 
the superior verbosity of his antagonist. Behind 
these disputants, with his head leaning against the 
bulk-head, sat a gentlemanly personage in black, 
whom I took to be a preacher. He was evidently 
paying grave attention to the political strife that 
was progressing near him, and the old Whig, as if 
desirous of drawing him into his own views, at 
each severe thrust he gave the old farmer, appealed 
to him with such a look as clearly expressed the 
three monosyllables, "Aintitso?" The gravity 
of the gentleman in black, at each appeal, relaxed 
into a smile, but there was no nod, no token of 
assent by which the politician might suppose him- 
self favored with his approbation. 

When Hatfield and I entered the cabin, there 
was a momentary pause ; but this only gave the 
anti-Jackson orator time to recruit his wind for a 
fresh attack. There was now a larger auditory, 
and it of course became necessary to make a pro- 
portionate display. Whether my youth made him 
suppose me easily influenced by argument, or 
whether he disliked the sarcastic smile of the gen- 



36 Five Years Before the Mast. 

tleman in black, I am unable to decide, but shortly 
after I had seated myself, he dropped his appeals 
to him of the white cravat, and directed them to 
me. I at last ventured to observe that the prece- 
ding administration had been based upon firm 
principles ; for however moved his opponents might 
have been, Jackson himself was immovable. This 
rap appeared to nettle him. He abandoned the 
old farmer at once, and turning in his seat, so as to 
present a full front towards me, he re-opened his 
batteries at a most alarming rate. 

From the day that I was old enough to shout 
"Hurrah for Jackson," I had always sided with 
the Democratic party. At the time the United 
States Bank bill was vetoed, I joined in the hue 
and cry against it. Old Hickory was represented 
as the friend and guardian of the laboring poor. 
The Bank, it was said, was the poor man's most 
deadly enemy ; and I believed that the downfall 
of the latter, and the elevation of the former, were 
the only means of securing to the toiling poor their 
liberties, rights, and privileges. I did not pause to 
consider if my views were right or wrong. I was 
told by the leading men of my party that such and 
such things were facts, and their words to me were 
gospel truth. Thus impressed, it appeared sacri- 
legious in me to hear the name of Jackson abused 
without resenting it. Up to the present time I 
had never yet cast a vote, but I had learned to 
talk, and this I deemed of far greater consequence 



Five Years Before the Mast. 37 

than a vote. In the present case, my " dander" 
was decidedly up at hearing the old political hyena 
jump so hard on the hickory idol of my party, and 
I felt like paying him back, with interest, the full 
wages of his labor. Yet I felt that I must be 
cautious in my attack, for fear of defeat myself, 
for I had been caught up by political tartars 
before ; and as to the calibre of the old gentleman 
before me, I knew not what might be its exact 
dimensions. Hence I thought it best to act on the 
defensive, until such time as I should have an 
opportunity of sounding the full depth of his pow- 
ers, and then by a regular coup de ma/in carry off 
the whole argument. In this plan I succeeded 
admirably. The old fellow kept battering away 
with charge after charge, until the bulk of his 
ammunition was expended, after which I ventured 
to let fly a volley. So unexpected a resistance 
made the old joker desperate. He now redoubled 
his efforts, but his aim was less pointedly directed, 
and most of his shot fell short of the mark. I 
followed up my advantage with such success that I 
soon perceived the venerable gentleman becoming 
fearful of the termination of the conflict, and look- 
ing around for aid from other quarters. I saw, 
however, that no one was disposed to fly to his 
assistance, and bringing my whole battery to bear 
on the old champion's position, I soon silenced him 
entirely. The administration was sustained, the 
enemy's colors were abandoned, and the Jackson 
4 



88 Five Years Before the Mast. 

democracy was that day triumphant on the East 
river. 

Having thus succeeded in silencing our loqua- 
cious fellow passenger, I looked round to see what 
impression my triumph had made on the rest of the 
passengers. I perceived that all looked pleased 
except my discomfited antagonist. The farmer 
rubbed his hands in the greatest glee, and the gen- 
tleman in black looked as if he would congratulate 
me, but was doubtless restrained by the presence 
of third parties. Hatfield, who was also a member 
of what my opponent styled " the dirty shirt dem- 
ocracy," sat apart at one side of the cabin, with 
his eyes bent on a shinplaster likeness of old 
Hickory, and which he kept whirling round and 
round between his fingers with the velocity of a 
flutter-wheel. The young lady, who had been a 
silent spectator to our political squabble, rose to 
look up the companion-way, and in doing so she 
favored me with a look. A congratulatory smile 
played upon her lips, which threw such a quantity 
of gas into my brain that there was some danger 
of it exploding with vanity and self-conceit. I 
began to think that my eloquence, besides silencing 
the loquacity of our common pest, had also the 
effect of captivating her ; and no sooner had this 
idea entered my mind, than I fancied myself over 
head and ears in love with her. Strange as it may 
seem, I had already forgotten that I was on a 
journey for a long voyage to sea, and thought of 



Five Years Before the Mast. 89 

following up a love adventure with this interesting 
nymph of the Sound. 

About this time the captain made his appearance 
in the cabin, and announced that we were in the 
vicinity of Hellgate. At this intelligence we all 
went on deck to see how matters and things looked 
in the neighborhood of uncle Nicholas's dominions. 
I walked forward and took a seat on the windlass, 
where I was soon after joined by the gentleman in 
black. We entered into conversation and in a 
short time became quite familiar with each other. 
Instead of a preacher, I now discovered that he 
was a merchant of Sag Harbor, and that he had 
been to New York to lay in a stock of summer 
goods. He gave me a full detail of the shipping 
at Sag Harbor, the conditions on which landsmen 
were generally received in whale-ships, the method 
of shipping them, and the articles necessary for an 
outfit. In short, he gave me all the information I 
could desire in relation to the object of my jour- 
ney, and concluded by soliciting my patronage in 
buying of him my outfit, should I go to sea from 
that place. 

Supper was now announced, on which we all 
repaired to the cabin, and soon afterwards returned 
to the deck, where we passed our time until dark. 
The vessel had by this time got out into the Sound, 
and the bre'eze freshening up, the water began to 
be a little rough. I now thought it time to look 
a?/ md for my fair dulcina, and indulge in a little 



40 -Five Years Before the Mast. 

harmless chat. I found her leaning over the taffrail, 
with a countenance partaking of every look but 
that of love. The heaving motion of the vessel 
had caused a heaving motion at her stomach ; and 
I had the good sense to leave her in the indulgence 
of an exercise quite the reverse of eating. I soon 
afterwards turned into my bunk and fell into a 
sound sleep, from which I did not awake until 
after daylight next morning. At breakfast I 
looked round for my fair vision of the previous 
day, but she had vanished during the night. For 
a while I felt quite lonely and dejected, and began 
to doubt the expediency of going to sea ; but as 
we approached our place of destination my spirits 
revived, and at the close of the day I was as merry 
as ever. Before the light of another day had 
dawned upon my head, I was landed safely at Sag 
Harbor. 

Although it was Sunday morning when I made 
my first appearance in Sag Harbor, yet this did 
not deter me from searching out the house of Mr. 
Mulford. I knocked at the door, and presently a 
slender, spare gentleman, whose appearance en- 
croached a little on the borders of dandyism, pre- 
sented himself. This, I was informed, was Mr. 
Mulford. I presented my credentials from Mr. 
Taylor, which were pronounced all right. As he 
had no particular boarding-house to recommend, 
we were at liberty to seek our own lodgings where- 
ever we pleased. He should not attend to us that 



Five Years Before the Mast. 41 

day, he said, but at any other time, would be 
happy to see us at his office. Having said this 
much, he dismissed us by shutting the door very 
politely in our faces. 

Hatfield and I were not long in procuring accom- 
modations, which we found to our satisfaction, at 
the Suffolk House. Our four companions, not 
ambitious of locating themselves in so conspicuous 
a place, took up their residence at a private board- 
ing-house near the wharf. Our landlord was a 
very agreeable and obliging personage, and in 
connection with his other nick-nacks, revelled in the 
title of Duke. Long Island is divided into three 
counties, called King's, Queen's, and Suffolk, and 
Mr. Fordham was generally known among his 
acquaintances as the Duke of Suffolk. Our traps 
were soon brought from the schooner to the hotel, 
where my friend and I found ourselves once more 
snugly housed on terra firma. 

Early on Monday morning a message was brought 
from Mr. Mulford, requesting our immediate attend- 
ance at his office. We found him seated at his desk, 
with his shipping articles before him. He told us 
that he had then two ships ready for sea, which 
would sail in a few days, and we might choose a 
berth in either, and sign our names to the articles 
at once. I, however, thought there was no urgent 
necessity to sign so hastily, and begged a few days 
grace to make up my mind. He, nevertheless, 
insisted on our signing immediately. I then ob- 
4* 



42 Five Years Before the Mast. 

served that as I was entirely ignorant of the busi- 
ness in which I was about to engage, I was desirous 
of having time to make some inquiries respecting 
the usual rates of pay in whale ships. He said the 
rates of pay were limited to shares, and that the 
customary shares of landsmen were the hundred 
and eightieth share. I doubted the truth of this 
statement, for Mr. Scoy, the merchant who came 
with me in the schooner from New York, had rep- 
resented the usual shares of raw hands as varying 
from the hundred and fiftieth to the hundred and 
seventy-fifth. Hence I began to suspect that this 
unnecessary haste on the part of Mr. Mulford, was 
the result of a fraudulent design ; and as I was 
fully determined not to be cheated with my eyes 
open, by signing his articles precipitately, I told 
him plumply, that I would not ship under four 
days. This made him a little angry. 

"You must go in one or the other of these 
ships," said he ; "I might put you in whichever I 
pleased, but I give you your choice. You are in 
my employ, and are obliged to take just whatever 
lay I choose to give you. You, in effect, sold your- 
self into my service at New York the very moment 
you agreed with Taylor to go to sea." 

" I sell myself to you ?" retorted I, to this im- 
perative language of Mr. Mulford. "I never 
knew there was such a man as you in existence. I 
agreed with Mr. Wrighter, in .Philadelphia, to go 
to New Bedford. At New York Mr. Taylor per- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 48 

suaded me to come to this place, and I consented 
to come only on condition that if I did not like it 
I might still proceed to New Bedford. I never 
bound myself with you, nor with any of your agents, 
nor shall I, in the. present instance, suffer myself 
to be cheated by entering your ship at the hun- 
dred and eightieth lay. Whether you like it or 
not, sir, I shall choose my own time for ship- 
ping-" 

Mr. Mulford looked very black at this declara- 
tion of independence, while I, walking out of the 
office, took a turn on the wharf. Hatfield, in the 
meantime, returned to the Duke's, where he re- 
ported the conference to the mate and second 
mate of the ship Hudson, a vessel belonging to one 
of Mr. Mulford^s rivals. These young men con- 
gratulated me on having defeated the designs of 
Mulford, who they said was in the habit of coming 
such tricks over strangers. They sought my com- 
pany, and besides interesting themselves warmly 
in my behalf, introduced me to a large number of 
young people of both sexes around the village, as 
well as to Mr. Green, the captain, and to Mr. Cook, 
the owner of the ship Hudson. A new circle of 
friends soon made their appearance around me, 
whose smiling faces, meeting me on all sides, made 
the time steal away gaily and pleasantly. Two 
weeks passed by. Mr. Mulford's two ships had 
sailed — my four companions were already tossing 
on the briny deep, while my friend and I, almost 



44 Five Years Before the Mast. 

forgetful of the object of our journey, were still 
holding our soirees at the palace of the Duke. 

It was during these two weeks that I formed an 
intimacy with a young sailor named Mark Leigh- 
ton, a native of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 
His brothers were men of respectable standing at 
that place, one being a merchant and the other a 
ship owner. Mark had left home when a mere 
boy. The earlier portion of his life had been spent 
in the merchant service. He had made two sealing 
voyages to the South seas, and but four weeks 
previous to my introduction to him he had returned 
from a four years' cruise on the Pacific ocean, in 
the whale ship Arabella. He was frank, manly, 
generous, and benevolent, as strong as a young 
lion, and a sailor of the first water. We became 
much attached to each other, and agreed to make 
a campaign through the world together. I was to 
be the Talleyrand of our travels, he the Napoleon. 
I was to do the talking, and he the fighting. Most 
of our time was spent together, either in sporting 
and porgy fishing, or in sailing a boat load of young 
ladies up and down the bay. We had, also, fre- 
quent invitations to parties, and as I could execute 
a song to a considerable degree of perfection, and 
play on the flute, these accomplishments were fre- 
quently called into requisition, and had the effect 
of procuring me quite a popular notoriety among 
the villagers. The circumstance of going to sea 
as a common sailor, was no disgrace to me, for all 



Five Years Beeore the Mast. 45 

the brothers, lovers, husbands, sons, and fathers of 
the place were in some way connected with the sea. 
To be a sailor there, was to be one of them ; and 
to be a sailor who could sing tastefully, and play 
the flute, was captivating in the extreme, and a 
passport to the heart of every young lady in the 
place. Besides, I boarded at a Duke's house, had 
been pronounced a clever young man by captain 
Green, of the "good ship Hudson," and what 
higher recommendation could be asked ? None, 
certainly. My songs and music were gratifying to 
the ladies, their company and applause were grati- 
fying to me, the parties and jollifications were 
gratifying to every body, and every body enjoyed 
them with happy and mirthful hearts. Who could 
be morbid, sad, dejected, ill-natured, and morose, 
in such society? I confess that I could not, but 
secretly blessed the schooner that had brought me 
safely to so merry a place as Sag Harbor. 

While matters were proceeding thus gaily with 
me, a circumstance occurred at the Duke's which, 
while it added to my popularity, was at the same 
time extremely gratifying to my vanity. Hatfield, 
in his days of plenty, having more money than 
he could spend wisely, had bought, at an auc- 
tion in Philadelphia, a few volumes of books, which 
on being opened, were found to be printed in the 
Latin language. Unable to dispose of them in the 
city, he had brought them to Sag Harbor, and 
laid them on the sill of our bed-room window- Dr* 



46 Five Years Before the Mast. 

Dayton, a newly married physician, who, together 
with his wife, boarded at the Duke's, had by acci- 
dent alighted on these books, and being surprised 
to find such articles among the paraphernalia of a 
common sailor, asked my friend if he could under- 
stand them. Hatfield replied in the negative, but 
said his young friend was in the habit of reading 
them. This incident soon gave rise to the report 
that I was a Latin scholar, and among the ladies 
brought on the tapis the subject of my origin. 
Questions were asked of Hatfield, as to who I 
really was, and where I was from ; but as I had 
sunk the shoemaker entirely on my departure from 
Philadelphia, even Hatfield was not aware of my 
vocation. The ladies, getting soon into the roman- 
tic mood, made it out as clear as day that I was 
some wealthy gentleman's son, who had doubtless 
run away from college, and was now, in a fanciful 
freak, going to try a voyage to sea. I knew 
nothing of these reports till told of them by Leigh- 
ton, nor did I then take any pains to refute them. 
I thought if people felt disposed to amuse them- 
selves at my expense, it was no business of mine. 
So long as they continued to treat me with the 
kindness they had done, I was abundantly satisfied ; 
and as their reports were not of a character to for- 
feit their good opinion, I was far too vain to think 
of humbling the position they had assigned to me 
in society. 

In the meanwhile the fourth of July was ap- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 47 

proaching, and preparations were making at the 
Duke's for celebrating it on a magnificent scale. 
The committee of arrangement, consisting mostly 
of my new acquaintances, waited on me for the 
purpose of procuring my vocal powers to aid in 
the musical department. I yielded my consent to 
the deputation, and the songs pitched upon for 
the occasion, were the u Sea," and the " Star- 
spangled Banner." That same evening, a com- 
mittee from a rival house, opposite to Duke Ford- 
ham's, waited on me with a request to favor their 
celebration with these two identical songs. But I 
declined this second invitation on the grounds of 
having given my patronage to the duke. An argu- 
ment was now entered into by the rival committee, 
with a view of overthrowing the Duke's negotia- 
tion. It was suggested, that the house where I 
had promised to attend would be patronized exclu- 
sively by captains, ship-owners, and merchants, 
who would only receive me as a necessary musical 
instrument, but who could have no possible sym- 
pathy or feelings in common with me — that they 
were aristocratical in sentiment and feeling, and 
cared not a cent for the thoughts or welfare of 
poor Jack ; but over the way I would be greeted 
by a jolly party of whole-souled fellows, well met ; 
by mates, second mates, boat-steerers, and common 
jack tars, who would receive me as a friend, and 
cheer me as a brother. In short, that I would there 
be among the democratic blue-jackets instead of a 



48 Five Years Before the Mast. 

shoal of aristocratical nabobs. These arguments, it 
must be confessed, operated so weightily upon me that 
I was almost inclined to renounce the Duke for ever ; 
but at this critical period, Mr. Fordham's son, and 
heir apparent to the Dukedom of Suffolk, encount- 
ered me, and interposed to prevent so fatal a catas- 
trophe to the interests of the house of " Suffolk." 
His views seemed to imply that as I boarded at 
the Duke's, I could scarcely be excusable in voting 
the bread out of my own mouth by abandoning his 
cause. Like an humble democrat in a despotic 
government, I saw at once that my fate was insepa- 
rably linked with the aristocracy, and accordingly 
placed a negative on the request of the deputation 
from the lower house. 

At last the long desired day arrived. The sun 
shone clear and beautiful in the heavens above — the 
whole town was in holiday of finery ; while Suffolk 
House presented an absolute fair of smiling faces 
and happy hearts. The dinner of " mine host," 
the Duke, was most excellent and did great honor 
to his lordship's taste. The gastronomic exercises 
passed off without any other accidents than the 
breaking a prong from a carving fork and the 
upsetting of the president's tumbler. 

The dinner over, the wines were brought on, 
when the president rose and proposed that the 
company be favoured with a song. In anticipa- 
tion of such an event, I had laid in a sufficient 
charge of wine, as I thought, to produce the proper 



Five Years Before the Mast. 49 

tone of voice. I rose and commenced, though not 
without some nervous twitching about the heart. 
The first verse was attended with a slight quiver 
of the voice, but as I proceeded, I acquired confi- 
dence in my own powers, and at the conclusion of 
that song of songs, the " Star-spangled Banner," 
more than an hundred voices joined in chorus. 
Three cheers followed — the stars and stripes were 
run aloft from the house-top — a national salute 
was fired from a cannon on the common — bumper 
after bumper was drank in rapid succession, and in 
a few minutes the whole party began to be most 
gloriously patriotic. 

The events of the night proved as propitious as 
those of the day. The ball wound away in giddy 
delight to the young ladies ; and at an early hour 
next morning the assemblage dispersed to their 
respective homes, intoxicated with the excellencies 
of the night, as well as with the excellency of the 
wines. 

On the morning of the fifth, and in the culmina- 
tion of my Sag Harborean popularity, I received 
a call from my most agreeable friend, Mr. Mul- 
ford. He had a third ship ready for sea, and was 
desirous of knowing if I had yet made up my mind 
to go to sea, or not. I told him I was going to sea, 
but not in his ship. I had come to the conclusion 
of going to sea with Captain Green, in the ship Hud- 
son. Mr. Cook, the owner, had offered to ship me. 

" Mr. Cook will not ship you !" said Mr. Mulford. 
5 



50 Five Tears Before the Mast. 

" But he will !" answered I. 

" He dare not do it !" proceeded Mulford. 

"Dare not ?" exclaimed I, "Why he said he 
would !" 

" He'll subject himself to a severe penalty if he 
does," observed Mulford. 

"How so, sir?" inquired I, surprised at the 
vehemence of the ship-owner's language. " It's a 
free country — the. man has a right to do as he 
pleases, has he not?" 

" Under general circumstances he has, but under 
particular ones he has not," said Mulford. " We 
ship-owners are mutually bound under an obliga- 
tion of one hundred dollars not to ship each other's 
men. You are my man, as I said before, and if 
he ships you, I'll exact the penalty to the very last 
cent." 

Without exchanging another word I turned di- 
rectly from Mr. Mulford, and proceeded to Mr. 
Cook's office. I found him engaged in writing. 
I related to him the language which had passed 
between Mr. Mulford and myself, and asked if his 
statement was correct. Mr. Cook admitted that 
such an arrangement existed between them, and 
that he could not ship me without a written dis- 
charge from Mr. Mulford. 

I now found myself placed in rather an awkward 
situation, but I determined to extricate myself in 
some way forthwith. I returned to Mr. Mulford, 
and told him what Mr. Cook had said. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 51 

" You might have spared yourself the pains of 
asking him," observed Mr. Mulford. " But I pre- 
sume you are now satisfied, and will enter my ship?" 

"No, sir," answered I. " I repeat, that I never 
will go in a ship of your's*" 

" What are your objections ?" inquired Mr. Mul- 
ford, with apparent vexation. "I offer you the 
same lay that Mr. Cook has offered, and in a four 
boat ship too, and what more can you ask ?" 

" It is not the lay nor the boats that make me 
object to going in your ship, Mr. Mulford," 
answered I, " but my dislike to yourself. You 
endeavored to practice deception upon me. You 
told me when I first came here, that the best lay 
given a landsman was the hundred and eightieth. 
Mr. Cook subsequently offered me the hundred and 
fiftieth, and told me that such was the usual lay. 
You then fly round in the face of your former 
declaration, and offer the same as Mr. Cook. Had 
I signed your articles when you first requested me 
to do so, I should have come out at least forty dol- 
lars less in my share of the ship's cargo than I 
would at your present offer. From this I infer, 
that your design, from the beginning, was to cheat 
me into a bad bargain ; and a man who shows an 
inclination to cheat at the commencement of a cruise, 
will not hesitate to do the same at the end. To be 
plain in the matter, sir, I think you are dishonest, 
and hence I am firmly resolved never to enter into 
your employ." 



52 Five Years Befoke the Mast. 

" Insulting puppy !" exclaimed Mr. Mulford, 
jumping from his seat, and pacing his office in a 
great rage ; " I will trifle with you no longer. 
Where are the seven dollars advance money which 
I paid on your passage to this place, and the three 
dollars bounty money paid to Mr. Taylor ? Pay 
me those ten dollars, and quit my sight at once, or 
else sign these articles I" 

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Mulford," answered I. 
" The seven dollars advanced on my passage, you 
are certainly entitled to, and I shall endeavor to 
have it paid. But the three dollars paid to Taylor, 
as a bounty for sending me to you, I have received 
no value for, and I shall consequently not pay a 
cent of it. Now, sir, if you will please to give me 
a written dismissal from your service, I will go 
immediately over the way, to Mr. Cook's office, 
and enter my name on the Hudson's articles, and 
Mr. Cook will become responsible for the payment 
of the seven dollars !" 

" I will do no such thing. You shall go in my 
ship, or starve in Sag Harbor !" 

" But I have no predilection for the former alter- 
native, Mr. Mulford," answered I; " and as to the 
latter, Duke Fordham's table would render it an 
utter impossibility. No, sir, I have another choice ! 
There is a steamer going from this place to New 
London to-morrow morning. Now if you persist 
in refusing me a discharge, I will proceed to New 
Bedford in that boat, where I may perhaps not be 



Five Years Before the Mast. 53 

trammelled up as I am here, I have gained infor- 
mation enough at this place to avoid being taken 
in there. As to the seven dollars I owe you, when 
I get that sum I will remit it to you in a letter, 
and if it should so happen that you never get any 
letter, you will know on whom to put the blame." 

Mr. Mulford was silent. My last remark had 
doubtless touched upon a tender chord. Self-inte- 
rest was an ingredient too powerful in his composi- 
tion to permit the loss of seven dollars foolishly. 
He accordingly proceeded to write out a discharge, 
and handed it to me without saying a word. I pock- 
eted the discharge, and walking directly over to 
the office of Mr. Cook, was in ten minutes after- 
wards numbered among the crew of the ship 
Hudson. 

The next thing to be provided was an outfit. 
The Hudson was rapidly preparing for sea, and at 
most would not remain in port longer than eight 
days. I applied to Mr. Scoy who furnished me 
with all the things necessary for a year's voyage. 
My accounts were next footed up, when I found 
that by adding my board bill, and the seven dollars 
advanced by Mulford, to the cost of my outfit, I 
was in arrears ninety-nine dollars and fifty cents. 
As fractions appeared to disfigure the books, I added 
a bottle of brandy to the account, and made it an 
even hundred. As security for this sum I signed 
an order drawn in favt>r of Mr. Scoy for my share 
of the Hudson's cargo on her return, he to receive 
5* 



54 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the whole, and to pay me whatever surplus remained 
after deducting the principal and interest of my 
indebtedness. 

Hatfield shipped in the Hudson the same day 
I did ; but on the following morning he went in 
the steamer to New London, on a visit to some of 
his friends, and by some unaccountable absence of 
mind, forgot to return. Some unsuccessful inqui- 
ries were made in regard to him, but from that day 
to this, I have never gleaned any tidings of the 
old friend who had sworn to go to sea with me in 
the same ship. 

At last the time arrived when I must actually 
make my debut on a new, and to me, an untried 
element. My broadcloth suit and fancy hat, were 
carefully laid aside for future use, and their place 
occupied by a tarpaulin hat and a red flannel shirt. 
It must be admitted that my new wardrobe made 
but little improvement in my personal appearance, 
yet there was a great consolation under this humili- 
ating change, in knowing that my future opera- 
tions were not to be witnessed by the ladies. While 
this change was being completed, my chest was 
conveyed on board the ship, which had hauled out 
into the bay, and was lying with her anchor apeak, 
awaiting the arrival of the captain and a portion 
of her crew. I perceived Captain Green approach- 
ing the wharf, and joined him. The second mate, 
who was waiting with a boat to convey us to the 
ship, inquired for Leighton. This reminded me 



Five Years Before the Mast. 55 

that my friend Mark had gone up town. I knew 
that he was paying his addresses to a young lady 
of the village, and supposed that he had gone to 
bid her farewell. But when there is a lady to be 
attended to, there is no knowing how long a man 
may be induced to stay, and I was dispatched by 
Captain Green, to hunt him up. On reaching the 
house, I found Mark and his lady-love alone. She 
looked as if she had been weeping, and I fancied 
that I saw a tear glistening in the eye of Mark. 
He asked if the boat was waiting for him, and I 
answered in the affirmative. He rose and took the 
young lady's hand, while I turned to look out at 
the window. A few sighs — a sob — a whisper — - 
and the single word, " Remember," spoken in a 
tremulous voice by the young lady, were all I 
heard — and Mark and I, issuing into the street 
together, directed our way in silence towards the 
boat. 

On reaching the ship, the captain looked doubt- 
fully round the horizon, and as the wind was unfa- 
vorable for getting out of the harbor, he suggested 
to the mate that they would not move the anchor 
till next morning. The men appeared satisfied 
with the arrangement, and began to select their 
bunks and spread their bedding. In a few hours 
the crew began to present an appearance of organi- 
zation. 

The circumstance of Mark parting with his mis- 
tress, as well as the fact of my being on the eve 



*56 Five Years Before the Mast. 

of a long voyage to sea, from which I might pos- 
sibly never return, hung heavily on my mind, and 
at the approach of night, produced an oppressive 
feeling of melancholy. I now began to think of 
the friends of by-gone days, and among the many 
forms that rose up* before me, was the image of a 
young lady whom I had left in Philadelphia, and 
who was, perhaps, at that very hour, dreaming of 
the faithlessness of men. I had not visited her 
on my departure from the city, as I had some 
qualms about trusting my feelings in her presence ; 
but I now thought it no more than just to inform 
her of my whereabouts, and send her some slight 
token of remembrance. To this end I resolved to 
pass my last night in America, in writing a love- 
letter. 

I shall not worry the patience of the reader in 
dragging him through a rehearsel of this letter. 
Like all letters of this description, it partook of 
some sense and a great deal of nonsense — of some 
emotions *which I really felt at the time, and others 
that I never did feel — of unswerving fidelity, eter- 
nal constancy, and a whole catalogue of soft and 
flattering words, such as we feel conscious will 
please, although we know them to be false. All 
this, and a hundred other things, I wrote, and con- 
cluded by swearing that I would never marry any 
other woman without permission from her. This 
faithful epistle I transmitted to the post-office, 
through the agency of Mr. Scoy's clerk, who was 



Five Years Beeore the Mast. 57 

the last citizen that took his departure from the 
decks of the old ship Hudson. 

On the following morning our captain was on 
board at an early hour \ but as the wind was light 
and baffling, we did not commence heaving on the 
windlass till after breakfast. About eight o'clock, 
a steady breeze set in from the north-west. Our 
anchor was then weighed — the topsails were sheeted 
and hoisted home — the top-gallant sails were set, 
and the good ship Hudson, bowing gracefully to 
the breeze, glided gently from her moorings. In 
an hour the white and tasteful cottages of the 
little village of Sag Harbor began to sink in the 
distance. By twelve o'clock the chief head-lands 
that bounded the bay were passed — Block Island 
hove in view — Montauk point was rounded, and 
the blue waters of the broad Atlantic lay spread 
before us. 



Gtj^pfef IM^« 



First appearance on the Atlantic Ocean and visit to Fayal. 

To him who has been reared in wealth and 
nurtured in luxury, how many painful reflections 
arise at the prospect of quitting home for distant 
oceans and foreign climes. The kind father, the 
gentle mother, the affectionate sister, and the smiles 
and tender greetings of flattering friends, all crowd 
themselves upon the mind to swell the heart, and 
choke the utterance ; but to the poor boy of the 
day laborer — to him who has been permitted to 
grow up like a wild sapling of the forest, rather 
than as a tender plant of the nursery, how few 
tender associations of this nature, link themselves. 
From my earliest childhood, my thoughts had been 
associated with the cold frown of the master, and 
the shrill scolding voice of the mistress ; and when 
once grown to be my own master, and free, I felt 
as wild and joyous as a bird released from its 
cage, to soar aloft in the free and open atmosphere. 
Was it strange, then, that I should feel little or no 
regret at quitting my home and my country ? But 
it will be said that I had friends. Yes ; I had left 
friends behind in Philadelphia, and friends in Sag 
(58) 



Five Years Before the Mast. 59 

Harbor ; but they were friends of an hour — mere 
sunshine friends, who, on the approach of the first 
cloud of adversity, would withhold the light of their 
heart and reflect the radiance of their smiles on other 
faces and on other forms. It is true, that when I 
beheld the last dim outline of Montauk sinking in 
the horizon, I felt a species of melancholy stealing 
upon me ; but there was no tremulous pulsation of 
the heart, no gentle tear-drops to pay their sad 
and parting tribute to the "land of the free, and 
the home of the brave," and when that faint streak 
of land had finally disappeared in the far west, I 
felt myself launched as a lonely wanderer on the 
wide and trackless bosom of the ocean. 

It was about four o'clock in the afternoon, when 
the shores of Long Island were last visible. The 
anchors had been secured, the chain cables stowed 
down in the lockers, and every thing about the ship 
made snug and taut for sea. The captain ordered 
all hands to be called aft on the quater deck, and 
proceeded to divide the ship's company into watches, 
I was cast in the starboard watch, and my friend 
Leighton in the larboard. The starboard division 
had the first dog watch but before it had been half 
an hour on deck, I began to feel the nausea of sea 
sickness. As the night approached the wind fresh- 
ened up, and the sea getting rougher every minute 
increased my distress. At dark, the wind com- 
menced blowing a regular gale ; and the black and 
heavy looking clouds that were fast gathering up in 



60 Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 

the west, gave evident tokens of an approaching 
storm. Presently a broad sheet of lightning east 
its red glare across the sea, lighting up the white 
waves far and near. The captain, acting upon 
this timely hint, proceeded to furl the top gallant 
sails and double reef the top-sails. To effect this, 
the ship was luffed up into the wind, and begun to 
pitch and toss at a furious rate. This was too 
much for me, who had now reached the very acme 
of sea sickness. I staggered to the forecastle, and 
crawled into my bunk, but to my most direful dis- 
tress, found that this brought no relief to my 
troubles. The ship kept rolling, pitching and 
tossing more alarmingly than ever, with the in- 
creasing storm, and at last a heavy sea breaking 
over the bow of the vessel, sent a few hogsheads 
of salt water roaring down the fore-scuttle. This 
was a dreadful shock to my nerves. I fancied that 
the ship was now sinking, and began to lament the 
folly that had induced me to sacrifice the comfort 
of a shoe shop for such a miserable and untimely 
end. I thought it too terrible to die housed up in 
a narrow forecastle, and made a desperate effort to 
get on deck ; but as I got my head up the scuttle 
hole, another sea broke over the forecastle, engulf- 
ing me, head and ears. Being weak and giddy 
with sea sickness, I found myself unable to main- 
tain my footing, under such a hydraulic pressure, 
and sliding from the steps of the ladder, I was 
landed on my back, fluttering and blowing like a 



Five Years Before the Mast. 61 

porpoise, in the lee scuppers of the forecastle. 
Alas ! who can conceive the horror of that mo- 
ment? Before I was swept from the companion 
ladder, I had heard the loud report of the thunder, 
the roar of the elements, the rattling and clatter 
of the sails and rigging, together with the shouts, 
curses, and yells of the captain and mates, and my 
distempered immagination, dwelling upon horrible 
images, conceived them to be the despairing cries 
of the drowning crew. At this distressing moment, 
a friendly guest appeared in the forecastle, in the 
person of a herculean negro sailor, named Sam 
Malony. He saw my distress, and, attributing it 
all to sea sickness, kindly dragged me from my 
watery bed and laid me in my bunk. 

"Is all lost, Sam?" inquired I, with a look of 
despair. 

"No, not quite all," answered Sam, laughing to 
himself. "But part of my supper's lost, an I's 
come to lay in a fresh cargo ;" and drawing a 
biscuit and a piece of old meat from the bread 
barge, he proceeded to dispatch them in quite a 
summary manner. 

The cool indifference of this old salt of the ocean, 
made me suspect that my fears had exaggerated 
our danger, and I, at last ventured to ask him, who 
was at the ielm. 

" Mark Leighton," was the answer. 

I had read the "Headsman," the "Bed Bover," 
and other novels, in which the lives of a whole 
6 



62 Five Yeahs Before the Mast. 

ship's crew were represented as having been pre- 
served by the power and skill of a single experi- 
enced arm, and I was vain enough to believe that 
no ship could possibly founder at sea with Mark 
Leighton at her helm. He was my friend, and I 
fondly persuaded myself that his own personal 
safety, as well as mine, would call into exertion 
his utmost skill. I fancied that the ship already 
moved easier, and asked Sam if he did not think 
so too. He said that the reason why she ran 
easier, was because she was now scudding before 
the wind ; but I thought it was because my friend 
was at the helm, and consoling myself with the 
agreeable reflection that I was now safe, soon fell 
into a refreshing sleep. 

On the following morning I felt greatly relieved 
from my fears, as well as of my sickness, and at 
eight bells made another effort to get on deck. 
This time I was more successful than I had been 
the night before, and although the storm and wind 
had subsided into comparative calmness, yet the 
waters remained in great agitation, and the vessel 
kept plunging at such a rate as soon reproduced 
the nausea of the previous night. I quickly 
crawled back into my bunk, from which I made 
but few more excursions for a period of four days. 

The sixth day after our departure from Sag 
Harbor, the captain gave orders for the green 
hands to take their look-out at the mast head, with 
the rest of the ship's crew. I had never yet been 



Five Years Before the Mast, 63 

aloft higher than the futtock shrouds, and conse- 
quently this command sounded as dismal as a death 
warrant to me. There was, however, no remedy? 
but up I must go, and I mounted the fore shrouds 
with a palpitating heart. I reached with ease to 
the foretop, but here appeared an insurmountable 
obstacle. I paused, and began to wonder in my 
mind why it was that ship builders should be so 
heartless as - $ot to leave a lubber's hole large 
enough for a poor cowardly landsman to thrust his 
head and shoulders through. The mate, perceiving 
that I had stopped, shouted to me to go on. I saw 
at once that there was no alternative, but rouod 
the top I must go, and shutting my eyes at the 
awful prospect, I clutched the futtock staves with a 
desperate grip, and worked my dangerous way out 
to the rim of the top. Here I ventured to open 
my eyes, for the purpose of taking an observation. 
I now run my left arm through the lanyards of the 
fore topmast rigging, and catching with my right 
hand on the shrouds above, with a great muscular 
effort drew myself into the top. A merry laugh 
from Mark Leighton proclaimed from the deck that 
I had gained the victory. I felt a good deal like 
shouting a loud "hurrah !" at my own success, but 
on casting my eyes upward, and perceiving the 
immense distance which I had yet to perform, my 
heart died within me, and I re-commenced my 
heavenward journey " in fear and trembling." In 
going up the fore topmast shrouds I met John An- 



64 Five Years Before the Mast. 

tonia, the person whom I was going to relieve. To 
pass him in so narrow a space, appeared to me 
another fearful difficulty. He might possibly play 
some trick upon me, and precipitate me into the 
sea. But John was a very civil man for a Portu- 
guese, and guessing my fears, advised me in all 
cases to keep hold of the shrouds instead of the 
ratlines, in going alow and aloft, as the seizings of 
the latter might at any time give way with my 
weight, and precipitate me overboard. I took the 
advice of John, and seizing hold of the shrouds 
mounted up to the top gallant cross-trees, where I 
took my seat in the crow's nest, and commenced 
scanning the sea for whale. The second trip aloft 
was attended with less difficulty, and after a few 
days I could ascend and descend with as much ease 
and alacrity as the most experienced seaman on 
hoard. 

When I left Sag Harbor, I had the greatest con- 
fidence in the kindness and friendly disposition of 
the officers of the Hudson. The captain had been 
very pleasant and affable to me, and the first and 
second mates I had looked upon as my most par- 
ticular friends. Yet before I was three weeks at 
sea, I had ample reason to suspect that the kind- 
ness and friendship they had formerly manifested 
for me, were altogether feigned. The captain now 
addressed himself very seldom to any member of 
the crew, and when he did his words were spoken 
with an imperative growl, such as while it wrought 



Five Years Before the Mast. 65 

obedience to his commands, stirred up a surly feel- 
ing in those to whom his orders were directed ; and 
the mates, divesting themselves of their previous 
smiles and pleasantry, assumed a stern, authorita- 
tive look, and accompanied their commands with 
such curses and oaths as contrasted strangely with 
the civility and politeness they had displayed at 
the Duke's. This disagreeable change troubled 
me for some time, but by degrees it wore away, so 
that by the time I was six months at sea, I became 
well satisfied that an agreeable, gentlemanly officer 
on land may prove but an indifferent sort of person 
at sea. 

About the middle of August we reached the 
Western Isles. It was the intention of Captain 
Green to touch at Fayal, and take in a supply of 
vegetables. As we reached the offing of the town 
a boat filled with men /was seen approaching the 
ship. The mate called to the men on the forecastle 
to keep a bright eye to windward, as the Algerines 
were about to board us. I did not comprehend the 
meaning of this order, but kept my eyes fixed on 
the motions of Leighton. All the clothing about 
the forecastle was quickly gathered up and whipped 
into the chests, which were immediately locked and 
the keys put out of sight. In a few minutes the 
boat arrived alongside, and about ten or twelve 
roughly clad Islanders tumbled over the bulwarks on 
deck. The party ran about the ship, inquring for to- 
bacco, offering oranges, grapes, figs, and other fruit, 

6* 



66 Five Years Beeque the Mast. 

in exchange for it. A few rushed into the fore- 
castle. Mark Leighton and I followed. They had 
already seized the bread barge, and having emptied 
the contents on the floor, were fighting among 
themselves for the biscuits. One fellow had pulled 
up the bedding in Mark's bunk, where he had found 
some clothing, and was very coolly shoving a pair 
of drawers into his bosom. Mark took them from 
him, and for his pains gave the gentleman a very 
deliberate kick in his seat of honor, at which he 
bowed politely, and walked on deck. In the mean- 
time old negro Sam found another visitor insinua- 
ting himself rather too familiarly into his domin- 
ions. Without exchanging a word with the covetous 
Islander, old Sam grasped him by the collar with 
one hand, and placing the other on the stern of his 
trowsers, sent him spinning up on deck as grace- 
fully as if he had been particularly soaped for the 
occasion. The party, soon finding that nothing 
was to be acquired by pilfering from such an un- 
ceremonious ship's company, repaired again to their 
boat, and 4 cursing the " Filio do Pootos Ameri- 
canos" rowed off towards the shore. 

As the harbor of Fayal is somewhat difficult of 
entrance, the captain gave orders to the mates, to 
keep the ship lying on and off, in the roadstead, until 
he could arrange his matters with the vegetables. 
He then proceeded on shore, where he purchased 
two hundred bushels of potatoes and onions, which 
were sent on board by shore boats. The price of 



Five Years Before the Mast. 67 

these vegetables varied from twelve to fourteen 
cents per bushel. 

As the following day was to be spent in taking 
our vegetables on board, I obtained permission from 
the captain to go on shore, and have a look at the 
town. I was accompanied in my visit by old black 
Sam. On reaching the landing, we were accosted 
by the custom house officer, who examined us very 
closely, and thrust his hands, in an unceremoni- 
ous manner, into our pockets, in search of contra- 
band tobacco. If a whole plug was found, the 
owner was permitted to twist off what he deemed 
sufficient for the day, and the balance was retained 
in the hands of the officer, to be delivered over on 
his return to the ship. 

But little can be said in praise of the general 
appearance of the town of Fayal. The houses, 
though mostly built of stone, seldom exceed two 
stories in height, and in the suburbs, are so low, 
contracted and inelegant, as to resemble rows of 
huts. The streets are crooked, and ill-paved. The 
whole business of the place is limited to the princi- 
pal thoroughfare, the pavements of which are kept 
so crowded, and lumbered up with bales and boxes, 
that one is sometimes in danger of having his legs 
broken in walking along them. The costume of the 
female portion of the inhabitants presents rather a 
peculiar appearance to an American eye. The 
ladies of the city usually appear in the streets, 
either veiled, or covered with large black hoods, 



68 Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 

contrasting strangely with those from the country, 
who appear to discard the cowl-like cloak of their 
town friends, and in lieu thereof, decorate their per- 
sons with short gowns, and broad brimmed straw 
hats. Priests, monks and friars, are very numer- 
ous. They are also held in remarkable reverence 
by the people, who kept bowing and scraping to 
them, whenever their dark robes, and shovel-shaped 
hats appeared. I was much surprised to find that 
so large a portion of the population consisted of 
beggars. Crowds of worthless individuals of both 
sexes, assail one at all points, and test the benevo- 
lence of every stranger they meet. I had not 
walked two squares through the street, before I 
was surrounded by as many dozens of these vaga- 
bonds, both male and female, who kept crying after 
me in piteous accents, " Oh ! Jack I por amar de 
Deo hum vinten /" I got out my purse to give a 
distressed looking female a few coppers, when the 
rest shoved her quickly away, and commenced 
shouting, and jabbering, in such an angry mood 
that I again put my money in my pocket, and 
slipped hastily from the crowd for fear of being 
robbed. The usual method of transporting vegeta- 
bles, and other commodities, from the country to 
the town, is on the heads of individuals. Carriages 
are strangers at Fayal. Horses and mules, I saw 
none. Asses are abundant, and appeared exclu- 
sively in the patronage of the gentry, and priest- 
hood, who journeyed to and from town upon them 



Five Years Before the Mast. 69 

in such state, as frequently brought their feet in 
contact with the ground. The only kind of vehicle 
I saw, was a species of cart drawn promiscuously 
by oxen, bulls and cows. The wheels are made of 
plank, and in lieu of tires, broad-headed iron spikes 
were driven into the rims, to keep the wood from 
wearing off. The whole construction was rude and 
barbarous, and as they labored their rugged way, 
over the ill-paved streets, their axles gave forth such 
a chorus of groans, and schreeehes, as told loudly 
against the luxury of grease. As Fayal is seldom 
troubled with travellers, the town, in consequence, 
is destitute of inns, but there are places where a 
stranger may, at times, find something to eat. 
Through the course of the day, I called for dinner 
at a house near the centre of the town, and about 
an hour after calling for it, a single dish, with a 
spoon in it, was placed on a small box in the middle 
of the room, and a mat thrown on the ground for a 
seat. The mess appeared to be a species of chow- 
der, and on tasting it, I fancied it a compound of* 
equal portions of vinegar, onions, fish, garlic, and 
cayenne pepper. Three spoonfuls raised a perspi- 
ration on me, and I then paid the landlady a pis- 
tareen to be excused from eating the balance. 

At the close of the day, old Sam and I being 
perfectly satisfied with our adventures, concluded 
to return to the ship. On arriving at the landing, 
where a boat was waiting to convey us off, Sam be- 
gan to inquire for his plug of tobacco ; but neither 



70 Five Years Before the Mast. 

tobacco nor officer could be found, and Sam returned 
to the' ship, cursing the officer, as well as Fayal and 
its customs. 

On the third day after our appearance off Fayal, 
we completed our business at that place, and set- 
ting all sail, stood away, with a fair wind, for the 
Cape Verd Islands. At sunset we had made an 
offing of about twelve miles, when the captain 
ordered us to " bout ship." As the wind was fair 
for a southerly run, this order seemed inexplicable 
to a portion of the crew. But the vessel was 
directed back towards Fayal, and as night closed 
in on us, I perceived the mates, and boat-steerers, 
in the after part of the ship, busily occupied in 
some mysterious proceedings. At nine o'clock, a 
light was hung under the bow, and half anliour 
afterwards a boat full of men appeared looming 
through the darkness, within hailing distance of 
the ship. The captain ordered us to throw a line 
to the boat, which we did, and in a few minutes 
drew her alongside. The word was now passed for 
every man in the ship, who had any tobacco to dis- 
pose of, to bring it aft on the quarter-deck. In less 
than a quarter of an hour some dozen boxes and 
as many kegs and half-kegs made their appear- 
ance and were immediately passed into the boat. 
In the meantime the captain and the master of the 
boat, who was evidently a smuggler, proceeded to 
the cabin to make arrangements for the pay. A 
few casks of wine were then hoisted from the boat 



Five Years Before the Mast. 71 

on board our ship, after which the vessels soon 
separated, and we once more changing our course, 
stood away for the South. 

Our course now lay for the South .Atlantic 
ocean, and for a period of forty days before we 
arrived on what is technically called the " Whale 
ground," our time was chiefly spent in grinding 
harpoons and lances, manufacturing spun yarn, 
and in rigging up our boats, fish lines, and cutting- 
in gear. Early in October we got our first sight 
of a whale. This was in latitude 23° south, and 
longitude 20° west from Greenwich. One of the 
boat-steerers raised from the mast-head, the cry, 
" There she blows !" when the main-topsail was 
thrown aback, and the ship brought to nearly a 
stationary position. The whale being visible from 
the deck, all hands were at once called to the 
boats. The captain giving the mate precedence in 
the chase, the boats were rapidly lowered into the 
water, and one after another moved off to the 
attack. 

In consequence of a ten inch block having fallen 
on my left great toe a few days before, and crippled 
me for the time being, I was not a party in this 
first chase, the cooper having taken my place in 
the third mate's boat ; but I was, nevertheless, 
able to be about the decks and had an opportunity 
of witnessing the operations. The mate proceeded 
very deliberately to within about fifty yards of the 
fish, when he made a motion for the men to spring 



72 Five Years Before the Mast. 

to their oars, while the boat-steerer, cleeting his 
oar, stood up in the bow, poising in his hand the 
harpoon ready for a descent. The boat, impelled 
by the strength of the rowers, darted forward with 
almost incredible velocity until it came in apparent 
contact with the whale. " Give it to her !" shouted 
the mate in a voice that was distinctly audible at 
the ship, and almost simultaneously, the unerring 
iron descended. The huge flukes of the black 
monster were for an instant, visible in the air, and 
then disappeared in a cloud of spray. For a short 
interval nothing was to be seen from the ship but 
the boat and a sheet of white bubbles. The men 
had cleeted their oars and were sitting calmly in 
the boat. Presently the boat began to move to 
windward at a rapid rate, and the whale was dis- 
covered about a hundred yards ahead. The cap- 
tain now made an effort to fasten, and sprang to 
windward with the utmost speed, but at each 
stroke of the oars it became more evident that he 
would not be successful. In less than an hour the 
mate's boat was barely discernable about six miles 
to windward of the ship. Every scheme that 
could be thought of, was resorted to for the pur- 
pose of bringing the unruly rascal to a halt, but 
all plans were alike useless. The fish still per- 
severed in being refractory, and the boat's crew, 
for fear of losing sight of the ship, were eventu- 
ally obliged to cut loose from their prey and return 
home. Thus ended our first attempt at a capture. 




w - a 



Five Years Before the Mast. 73 

A few days after the preceding occurrences/ 
another alarm was raised. From the appearance 
of things, it was plainly evident that we had fallen 
in with a school of spermaceti whale. These being 
more valuable than the common whale, there was 
of course a greater desire manifested for their 
capture. As the sea for a while appeared full of 
them at all points of the compass, there was no 
time lost in determining who should take the lead, 
each boat having the privilege of grasping where 
it best could. I being now well enough to row, 
took my seat at the tub oar in the third mate's 
boat. Before we had proceeded forty rods from 
the ship, the first and second mate's boats were 
each fast to a whale. In a few minutes our boat- 
steerer fasteped to a third. We were towed along 
but a short distance when we discovered that our 
prize was little inclined to place his chances of 
life on leg bail. He rolled, snorted, and plunged, 
as if in a terrible rage ; yet, notwithstanding his 
warlike manoeuvres, the mate soon succeeded in 
lancing him, upon which the boat drew off at a 
short distance to await the death. The flurry had 
scarcely subsided when the fish was found to be 
sinking, and in this unlooked-for misfortune, reason 
as well as interest dictated that if possible, we 
should save our line. To this end, a turn was 
taken with it round the loggerhead, and all the 
strain the boat would permit, was suffered to rest 
upon it, with the hope of drawing the iron from 
7 



74 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the body of the sinking fish. But here again our 
efforts were attended with another and more start- 
ling calamity. A whale which was, doubtless, 
unconscious of an enemy moving in its vicinity, 
was seen coming up directly under our boat. The 
alarm was instantly given and an attempt made to 
change the position of the boat ; but the weight 
of the sinking whale defeated the movement, and 
in another instant the boat and her whole crew 
were raised high in the air. Every man jumped 
with his oar into the sea to save his life, while the 
unthinking whale, frightened at the havoc his care- 
lessness had occasioned, darted away like lightning, 
leaving the trembling boat on the agitated water, 
with half her side staved in. Old black Sam 
swam to the boat and succeeded in getting it right 
side up, but it was too much shattered for the 
reception of her crew. The third mate did all in 
his power to encourage us in our dangerous situa- 
tion, and aided such as could not swim well, in 
getting hold of the gunwale of the boat. The 
captain, who had witnessed our misfortune, soon 
arrived to our assistance. Ourselves and our bro- 
ken boat were afterwards taken to the ship, and 
thus ended my first adventure in the whale fishery. 



Gfj^pfeir Fot|Hfy, 



Containing something the Writer never knew until he went to Sea, 

The reader should perhaps be apprised that in 
the undertaking of this work," the writer has been 
influenced as much with a view to his instruction 
and entertainment as to his personal amusement. 
Believing that a calling so enterprizing, and at the 
same time so exciting and hazardous as that of 
whaling would arrest his most particular attention, 
the author has limited this chapter to the modus 
operandi of the whole business. Those of his 
readers who have no inclination to wade through 
so oily a chapter, are recommended to pass on to 
the next. 

The whale, or rather balena, as it is called by 
naturalists, is indisputably the largest animal in the 
world. It doubtless herds most numerously in the 
regions of the polar seas, but abounds in all oceans, 
and may be caught wherever a sufficient quantity 
of food exists for its nourishment. There are 
several varieties which attain to a considerable size, 
but I shall only call to notice the three principal 
ones. First among the varieties, may be classed 
the lalena mysticatus, usually called the common 
or " right" whale by sailors, as it is the most usual 

(75) 



76 Five Years Before the Mast. 

object of their pursuit. Second, the physalis or 
finback, a large species, but never sought after. 
And third, the eachalot or spermaceti whale, which 
in the quality and fineness of its oil, exceeds all 
the rest. 

The size of the common whale has furnished a 
subject for much speculation and exaggeration 
among some writers. A few have represented it 
of the enormous length of two hundred and fifty 
feet, while others, less inclined to the marvellous, 
have contented themselves with ending it at one 
hundred and fifty. I am sorry that my experience 
can sustain neither of these lengths, as I am truly 
fond of a good fish story; but the truth is the 
credulity of the age is growing so suspicious that a 
man must be careful what he writes. I aided in 
the capture of eleven of the animals, and the 
largest of them did not, at the most favorable esti- 
mate, exceed fifty-two feet in length. The same 
fish measured twelve feet in diameter at the thick- 
est point of the body, and about fourteen feet 
across the " flukes" or tail. Eighty-nine barrels 
of oil were netted from the body, and eighteen 
hundred weight of baleen or bone. It is just to 
observe, however, that this was not one of the 
largest of the variety. Captain Green, in his for- 
mer cruise, captured one from which two hundred 
and five barrels of oil were taken, but its estimated 
length reached only sixty-three feet. The male 
of the spermaceti variety grows to a much greater 



Five Years Before the Mast. 77 

length than the common. We took one on the 
coast of Patagonia, measuring sixty-eight feet in 
length, from which we procured one hundred and 
fifteen barrels of oil. We would have been able to 
get more, but while engaged in bailing the case, 
the wind rose and the sea became so rough that we 
were obliged to cut the ponderous bulk adrift. By 
this unlucky though necessary act, we lost about 
five or six barrels of the finest and most valuable 
oil. Hence, though my experience is inconclusive, 
in respect to the average length of whales, yet it is 
sufficient to limit it to a mark somewhat short of 
that allowed by the authors referred to. 

The mouth of the common or "right" whale, is 
an organ of very peculiar structure. In large 
specimens of the race it will measure, when fully 
opened, from eight to ten feet high, and from six 
to nine feet wide. It contains no teeth, and huge 
as the animal is in bulk, the diameter of its gullet 
reaches scarcely the width of two inches. From 
the narrow formation of the throat, it may be 
inferred that its food is rather of a diminutive 
character ; and, indeed, such is really the fact, for 
it derives its sustenance entirely from millions of 
the smaller inhabitants of the deep. To permit 
this, the mouth is provided with a singular appa- 
ratus, composed of the baleen or whalebone. This 
bone is arranged in two rows of thin plates, pro- 
jecting from a line in the centre of the arch of the 
palate, and with a slight curve extending downward 
7* 



78 Five Years Before the Mast. 

on either side to the lower jaw. There are some 
three hundred of these plates or " slabs" on each 
side of the mouth, which are set so close together 
as not to admit the finger between them. When 
separated, these plates, in appearance, are not 
unlike a common cradling scythe. The outer sides, 
near a quarter of an inch in thickness, are smooth 
and square, while the inner sides taper gradually 
away into sharp edges, which are overgrown with 
long dark fringes, resembling the hair of a horse's 
tail. 

The use of these " slabs," with their hairy edges, 
is very obvious. As already observed, the animal 
feeds on a species of sea shrimp, of extraordinary 
minuteness, which, congregating in masses of aston- 
ishing greatness, makes the surface of the sea 
present, in many places, a blood red hue for miles 
in extent. These little aquatic animals, in size and 
shape, bear a close resemblance to a common house 
cricket. They are, however, red, and lie in im- 
mense swarms or schools immediately beneath the 
surface of the water. Into these swarms the whale 
floats with open mouth, scooping up, at a single 
effort, whole hogsheads of its unsuspecting victims, 
upon which the mouth is closed, the water is ejected 
through the plates of baleen, and the hairy fringes, 
acting as a net- work, retain the minute particles for 
mastication. 

The common method by which sailors distinguish 
the different varieties of whale at sea, is by the 



Five Years Before the Mast. 79 

spout or blow-hole. The rorquals or finback variety 
have but one blow-hole. The spout generally 
reaches to the height of from twenty to twenty-five 
feet. It is perpendicular in ascent, and subsides in 
a vapor of a very smoky appearance. The finback 
is seldom attacked by fishers, it being difficult to 
capture, and never very fat. The common or 
"right" whale, has two blow-holes, one on each 
side of the centre of the head. The spouts diverge 
a little from each other in their ascent, in a forked 
manner, but rarely attain so great a height as that 
of the finback. A forked spout never fails of 
awakening from the mast-head of a whale ship the 
well known cry of " There she blows !'* The 
spermaceti whale has but one blow-hole, which is 
situated in the fore-part of the head, immediately 
over the nose. The spout is thrown a little for- 
ward and upward from the head, describing, in its 
course a semi-circle on the water. It is white and 
vapory in appearance, and seldom attains an alti- 
tude of more than frine or ten feet at the highest 
point from the water. 

The spermaceti varies considerably from the 
right whale, the principal difference being in the 
head. The mouth is destitute of the plates and 
fringes of the latter, and thd lips, instead of being 
attached to the lower jaw, are appended to the 
upper. The head is huge and ponderous, compri- 
sing full one-third of the whole fish, and so clumsy 
that it seems a great effort to turn it round in the 



80 Five Years Before the Mast. 

water. The under jaw is comparatively small, of 
a bony structure, and appears like a grayish mar- 
ble shaft or pillar appended to the under side of 
the head. The upper margins are furnished with 
two rows of ivory teeth, standing about six inches 
apart, which fit into corresponding sockets or inden- 
tations in the upper jaw. It becomes quite furious 
when enraged; and in fighting a boat, it ap- 
proaches its enemy perpendicularly in the water, 
its bulky head high in the air, and its shaft-like 
under jaw thrown out horizontally on the surface 
of the water 

The spermaceti whale feeds on various animals 
of the mollusca tribe, all of which are, however, 
only known among sailors by the general appella- 
tion of "squid." They are usually seen floating 
on the surface of the sea in large flakes resembling 
a thick white jelly. Though inanimate to the eye, 
they are not entirely destitute of life ; and some 
seamen are impressed with the belief that when 
separated in body, the parts possess the power of 
again uniting. 

The blubber, or fat of the spermaceti whale, is 
similar to that of the common, the only difference 
being in the thickness. In the latter, it varies 
from ten to sixteen inches through, while in the 
fattest of the former, it seldom exceeds nine inches, 
In both tne fatty substance lies immediately be- 
neath the skin, from which it can only be separa- 
ted with the knife ; but it never is so separated, as 



Five Years Before the Mast. 81 

the skin and blubber are both peeled together from 
the body of the fish as bark is peeled from the trunk 
of a tree. The blubber is so thoroughly interwo- 
ven with small tough fibres that it will even resist 
the beating of an axe, but with a sharp edged tool 
it is as easily cut as a pumpkin. When sliced up 
the pieces slip from the hands like chunks of ice, 
in consequence of which, the handling of it is 
usually performed with sharp hooks. 

A whale-ship would, perhaps, present an almost 
endless variety of interesting objects to the eyes 
of a landsman ; and to such of my readers as wish 
to gratify a laudable curiosity, I shall notice a few 
of them. The first important object in the equip- 
ment of a whaleship for a successful cruise, is the 
casks, as on the quality of these, in a great meas- 
ure, depends the safety of the cargo. These are, 
in consequence, always made of the best material, 
bound with iron, and of such dimensions as are 
best adapted to the hold of the vessel. They are 
always filled with fresh water when outward bound, 
and if oil be taken faster than the water is con- 
sumed, they are emptied of their contents and 
re-stowed full of oil. 

The second important matter is the boats. It is 
necessary that these should be extremely light, 
sufficiently large, and of such form as to ride 
safely on the most tempestuous sea. Hence, they 
are built of the lightest cedar boards, not exceed- 
ing half an inch in thickness, and lined in the 



82 Five Years Before the Mast. 

bottom with still lighter material. The length 
rarely exceeds twenty-five feet. In the hind end 
is placed a post called a loggerhead, the object of 
which is to secure the line when capturing a whale ; 
and at the bow a small notch is cut in the gunwale, 
through which the line is rove and fastened down 
with a small peg. This precaution is highly neces- 
sary, as in case the line were permitted to drag 
loosely round the edge of the boat it would become 
entangled with the oars, and even with the limbs 
of the men, to the great danger of their lives. 
There is no rudder, but in lieu of it, a rope becket 
is worked in the stern-port for the reception of an 
ash steering oar some twenty-two feet long, with 
which, a single stroke is mostly sufficient to turn 
the boat clear round in the water. A space is 
always left in the stern-sheets for the reception of 
the tub. Into this the line is carefully coiled, a 
strong cord made of the very best of tarred hemp, 
about as thick as a man's thumb, and measuring 
some fourteen hundred feet in length. 

Next comes the harpoon. The head of this 
instrument is triangular, about four inches broad 
across the barbs, and a little over three-quarters 
of an inch thick, where it is joined to the shank. 
The edges are ground quite sharp, and care is taken 
to keep them clear of rust. The shank Is gener- 
ally near two feet in length and made of the most 
malleable iron, in order to avoid the danger of 
breaking. It is a quarter of an inch square and 



Five Years Before the Mast. 83 

terminates in a socket, into which a hand-pole near 
four feet long, is firmly fastened. The end of the 
line is spliced tightly round the socket of the har- 
poon and then tied at two or three points along the 
hand-pole. From thence it leads back between 
the oarsman, to the tub in the stern-sheets, the 
harpoon always having its place in the bow of the 
boat. When the iron is struck into a whale, the 
hand-pole is mostly in an upright position, but as 
the fish darts away and a strain is permitted to 
rest on the loggerhead, the pole is drawn over and 
the shank being the weakest part of the instru- 
ment bends down lengthwise with the whale. In 
this position it would be next to impossible for the 
iron to draw out, unless by the operation of sound- 
ing, in which case the shank would again be 
straightened up, and a heavy perpendicular pull 
might wrench it out. 

The lance claims our attention next. This is a 
thin oval blade of steel, about two inches broad 
and three in length, ground as sharp as a razor at 
all edges down to the very shank. The shank is 
about a foot longer than that of the harpoon, and em- 
braces in its socket a light ash pole near twelve feet 
in length. This is a deadly instrument to use on 
the body of a fish, and cuts its way both in and 
out. In approaching a whale, the boat-steerer 
always pulls the bow oar of the boat, until the 
captain or the mate, in whose boat he is, orders him 
to cleet his oar and get up. He then rises, picks 



84 Five Years Before the Mast. 

up his harpoon and examines the line to see that 
nothing is entangled in it. As soon as the word, 
" Strike," is given, the iron is thrown, and if it 
fastens he quickly runs aft to the stern of the boat, 
and takes the steering oar from the hands of the 
captain or mate, as the case may be. The latter 
going then immediately forward, poises on high 
the fatal lance, ready to do mortaj combat with 
the great monarch of the ocean, the boat-steerer, 
in the meantime, guiding the boat according to his 
directions. 

Another important feature on board a whaleship 
is the " Caboose" or " Try-works." This is a 
piece of brick-work erected between stanchions on 
the deck, a short distance abaft the fore hatch. 
Three kettles, holding a little over a barrel each, 
are placed in this, over as many furnaces, while 
close at hand is secured a large copper tank, into 
which the hot oil is thrown to cool before it is 
stowed away in the casks. The apparatus for 
taking the blubber from the body of the whale is 
somewhat complicated, and may perhaps be better 
understood in the process of " cutting-in." 

When a whale is captured it is towed to the ship 
and floats alongside, parallel with the keel, the tail 
towards the bow, and the head near the main chan- 
nels. A ''fluke' chain with a hawser attached to 
the end of it, is then run out at the hawse-hole 
and fastened round the small of the fish's tail. A 
turn is then taken with the hawser round the bits 



Five Years Before the Mast. 85 

of the windlass. The fish thus secured is con- 
sidered ready for cutting-in. A man with a rope 
round his waist, next ventures over the ship's side, 
on the body of the whale and passes a chain round 
the pectoral fin, close up to the body. At the 
head of the mainmast are two fourfold tackles, 
hung in slings, one of which is now overhauled 
down and hooked to the chain. The fall, composed 
generally of a six inch rope, is then led forward to 
the windlass. As soon as the men commence 
heaving on the windlass the head and shoulders of 
the fish rise gradually out of the water. When 
sufficiently high, the men are ordered to stop 
heaving, and the process of cutting off the head 
begins. This is accomplished with sharp instru- 
ments resembling small spades, with long handles, 
the mates using them, standing the while in the 
main channels of the ship. When the spades 
have worked their way in to the spinal bone, a man 
is again sent out on the whale with an axe, to sepa- 
rate it. A few strokes are generally sufficient to 
complete the operation, when the spades are again 
set to work until the job is finished. When the 
head is entirely off, it is drifted round to the ship's 
stern and secured by a line, to the taffrail, where 
it is left to tow until the rest of the body is dis- 
posed of. 

The head out of the way, an incision is next 
made in the body, half way round the fin, when the 
heaving at the windlass is resumed, and the fin, 
8 



86 Five Years Before the Mast. 

accompanied with a large portion of the blubber, 
slowly peels loose from the body of the whale. A 
belt of blubber, called the " blanket-piece," is now 
cut from the body, to which the fin becomes the 
handle, or starting point ; and as the humid coat- 
ing peels off with the heaving of the windlass, the 
body of the fish turns round and round in the 
water. Care is taken so as not to cut directly 
round the body, but a spiral course is pursued, so 
that the whole of the blubber, from the head to the 
tail, is taken from the body of the animal, like the 
thread of a screw, in one continued piece. When 
the first tackle becomes exhausted by the length 
of the blanket piece, and the blocks meet at the 
mast-head, a hole is cut through the blanket piece 
close down to the whale, and the second tackle 
hauled down and hooked on. As soon as a mode- 
rate strain is had on the second tackle, the piece 
of blubber is cut off level with the deck of the 
ship, and swung in to the mainmast. The covers 
of the main hatch being removed, the whole 
blanket piece, weighing some three or four tons, is 
permitted to run down into the blubber room. 
When the second tackle becomes block and block, 
the first is again overhauled and hooked on, and thus 
the process continues to be repeated until they 
arrive at the fish's tail, which is cut clear off, and 
the flukes, chain and all, are then hoisted on deck 
with the last blanket piece. The carcase of the 



Five Years Before the Mast. 87 

whale is then suffered to drift at large on the sur- 
face of the ocean, a prey to sharks and gonies. 

The body being thus disposed of, the head is 
again brought round to the main channels, and the 
under jaw separated from the upper. The tongue 
is then extracted from the mouth and hoisted on 
deck, together with the lips, when the rest being 
considered worthless, is turned abroad upon the 
waters. The top part of the head is then hoisted 
in on deck and cut up ; the plates of baleen are 
separated with axes, and after being cleansed with 
scrapers, at the gummy ends, are lashed up in bun- 
dles containing ten or twelve plates each, and 
stowed away in the vessel's hold. 

As a sequel to the cutting in, the process of 
boiling or trying out the oil commences. The 
blubber, for necessary convenience, being all depo- 
sited in the blubber-room, is here cut up in pieces, 
from twelve to sixteen inches long, and thrown on 
deck. Thence it is carried to the mincing horse, 
where it is minced into thin slices, and thrown into 
a tub ready for the kettles. As it boils out, the 
scraps, which become brown and dry, are skimmed 
from the oil, and thrown by the furnaces for fuel. 
The scraps derived from the blubber of a whale, 
usually furnish sufficient fuel to boil out the whole 
of the oil. After the oil has been cooled, barrelled, 
and stowed away, the ashes are taken from the fur- 
naces, and being placed in*a hogshead, with a quan- 
tity of fresh water, an excellent lye is the result, a 



88 Five Years Before the Mast. 

commodity extremely useful in removing the grease 
and filth from the clothing of the ship's company. 
Thus does this truly valuable animal of the ocean, 
even to its very ashes, contribute to the happiness 
and comfort of the human race. 

I have already detailed to the reader some par- 
ticulars in respect to the capture of the whale ; but 
as a full account of the whole process would doubt- 
less prove interesting to the curious, I will endeavor 
to describe it, so far as my limited powers of 
description will permit. 

When the cry, " There she blows," resounds 
from the mast-head, all hands are at once called on 
deck, and the main-topsail being thrown aback, the 
ship ceases her headway. The boats are now low- 
ered into the water, and move off in the direction 
of their prey. It is ruleable that some one of the 
boats should precede the rest to the attack, as a 
general rush of all might alarm the fish before any 
of them would be within reach of it. The boat 
selected for the lead, then rows off quietly, till 
within about fifty yards of the animal, when the 
men spring to their oars with all their might, and 
rush on the unconscious whale with astonishing 
rapidity. When sufficiently near the whale, the 
boat-steerer darts his iron into it, and then in a 
loud voice cries, "Stern alii" but before the back- 
stroke can be given by the rowers, the boat is in 
absolute contact with th§ whale. 

The huge animal, frightened at such an unex- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 89 

pected assault, hurls his broad flukes high in the 
air, and striking them suddenly down on the water, 
with a report louder than the discharge of a mus- 
ket, disappears amid a sheet of bubbles and white 
foam. The whale now makes the best of its way 
under water, while the line whizzes through the 
notch at the bow of the boat at an amazing rate. 
Suddenly the whale is again seen at the surface of 
the water, about seventy or eighty yards ahead. 
The men are now ordered to peak their oars, while 
at the same time a turn is taken with the line round 
the loggerhead, when the boat begins to move 
onward after the whale. The mate and boatsteerer 
now change positions in the boat, the former going 
to the bow, and the latter to the stern ; while the 
men at the same time pull in a little on the line, in 
order to get a closer position to the w r hale. The 
animal, by this time, finding its movements much 
retarded by dragging a boat-load of men after it, 
becomes uneasy, and by rolling and plunging 
endeavors to rid itself of the iron ; but in its efforts 
it only becomes entangled in the line, and thus 
renders itself the more securely the prisoner of its 
enemies. 

The remaining boats now arriving, prepare to 
fasten with another iron, which they frequently do, 
and the fish perceiving itself surrounded on all 
sides by greedy combatants, dives suddenly away 
towards the bottom of the ocean. This action of 
the whale is called "sounding." A steady strain 
8* 



90 Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 

is kept on the line as the whale descends, though 
not so hard as to draw the iron, and as soon as the 
line becomes slack, the men immediately begin pul- 
ling it in, so that when the whale reappears at the 
surface of the water, they are as near to it as when 
it commenced its descent. If, as is often the case, 
the whale descends to such a depth as to run out a 
whole line, a second line is tied to the first, which 
two together will reach a depth of twenty-seven 
hundred feet, a line being usually two hundred and 
twenty-five fathoms long. A whale, however, does 
not sound often, as the density of the water in the 
bed of the ocean renders the act one of great 
exhaustion. When fresh and vigorous, it is absent 
nearly twenty minutes, and sometimes even half an 
hour, but when worried by previous running it 
always reappears at the surface in ten or fifteen 
minutes from the time of its descent. When it 
finds itself unable to get clear of its pursuers, either 
by running or sounding, it becomes in a manner 
passive, or endeavors to free itself by rolling, in 
either of which cases it is approached and dis- 
patched with the lance. 

The most effectual place to insert the lance, and 
which all experienced whalemen endeavor to select, 
is in the side, a short distance behind the pectoral 
fin. The instrument is inserted four or five feet 
deep, and shoved quickly backward and forward, 
with a churning motion, taking care to vary the 
blade a little up and down. The boat is then 



Five Years Before the Mast. 91 

backed off to note the effect. In a moment or two 
he will blow, and if the wound has been a mortal 
one, a forked stream of warm blood will ascend 
from his nostrils, high into the air, and in its 
descent, bloody both the boat and her crew. The 
attack is then not renewed, as the animal is con- 
sidered killed; but the boat hauls off, to a safe dis- 
tance, to await the flurry, or dying struggle. This 
commonly takes place in about twenty minutes, when 
a frightful floundering ensues, during which the sea 
is lashed into a foam of boiling surf, and a cloud 
of spray arises from the agitated water, like the 
mists of a great water-fall. When these struggles 
finally subside, it turns over and expires, after 
which it is towed to the ship and secured, as already 
described, for cutting in. 

Note. — " Case" is the technical name of a large cavity in the 
interior of the skull, filled with a fine oil or liquid, which is taken 
from the head in a warm state, and becoming concrete on cooling, 
furnishes the choice sperm of commerce. 



Gt|^j)feSr rifffj- 



In which the writer makes further progress in his cruise, and dis- 
covers that fortunes are not more rapidly realized at sea than on 
land. 

The youthful mind, occupying itself in some 
shady nook with the details of a novel, may imag- 
ine to itself something pleasing and romantic in 
the routine of ocean life ; and indeed it must be 
confessed, that before I went to sea, I had pictured 
in it to myself a vast round of unknown delights. 
Blue water, however told a different tale ; and as 
time continued to progress, I found myself entirely 
cut off from so many of the comforts of life, that I 
was constrained to look upon a sailor's life as one 
of hardship and privation. Besides, I found my 
life in such continual danger that I never knew 
when I was safe ; and at the time our boat was 
shattered, and I committed myself for safe keeping 
to the arms of old father Neptune, could I just then 
have got my foot on terra firma, I would have 
given any body leave to have sent me to the — 
"king of the Cannibal Islands," had they caught 
me at sea again. But unfortunately, we were more 
than a thousand miles from the nearest point of 
land ; and not being sufficiently expert in the art 
(92) 



Five Years Before the Mast. 93 

of swimming, to overcome so great a distance, there 
was a strong probability of my remaining in the 
ship for some time. 

A few hours after reaching the ship with our 
shattered boat, the first and second mates arrived 
on board, each having succeeded in capturing a 
prize ; and the ship was run down to where they 
lay. During the afternoon, the captain also suc- 
ceeded in taking a large bull whale, and the three 
together, furnished us a day of hard labor to cut 
them in. Before the blubber of these was entirely 
disposed of, another captive was made, and yet 
another, upon which we began to congratulate our- 
selves on the prospect of a successful voyage. 

But though all things appeared thus favorable 
for a profitable voyage, yet I began to be very much 
dissatisfied with my situation. I had left Philadel- 
phia with a faint prospect of making a fortune ; but 
I now began to question whether I had hit on the 
best plan. I was already enabled to perceive that 
fortunes were not to be more easily realized at sea, 
than on land, and that even the few dollars per 
month, which were earned was with far more severe 
labor. As a journeyman shoemaker, my labors in 
the shop were usually light ; and though not very 
well contented with my occupation, yet I had 
always something palatable to eat, and was, be- 
sides, master of my own time, and actions. Such, 
however, was not the case here. I was kept to the 
most constant, and severe labor, both day and night. 



94 Five Years Before the Mast. 

With the appearance of the dawn came the well 
known cry, u There she blows/' when I would be 
called to the boat, in which a row of some two or 
three hours, served but as a prelude to the labors 
of the day. If not successful in the chase, we were 
obliged to retrace our journey to the ship ; during 
which another whale would perhaps be seen two or 
three miles off in another direction, upon which the 
course of the boat would be again changed, and a 
rapid row of two hours, would put us nine or ten 
miles from the ship. Hunger and thirst would 
soon follow in the track of such labor, and it often 
happened that there was nothing in the boat to 
satisfy the one, or to slake the other. A row of 
ten or twelve miles to the vessel, was then to be 
rewarded with a biscuit of brown bread filled to 
repletion with weevils, a chunk of cold beef resem- 
bling a piece of lignumvitae, and a cup of water 
sending forth an effluvia strong enough to knock a 
poor exhausted fellow into a fit of hydrophobia. 
These dispatched for a supper, I had then to take 
my watch at the try-kettles till twelve o'clock at 
night, at which hour the relief would be called ; at 
one I would get housed in bed, to be aroused again 
*at four, when daylight would approach, and bring 
with it the old cry of, " there she blows." The 
boats would again be called away, and on taking 
my seat at the oar, I would find my hands in a 
blister from the previous day's pulling. No matter, 
" On, on ! boys !" was shouted ; and away we would 



Five Years Before the Mast. 95 

go, drag, drag, drag, for another day of sweat and 
toil. Such incessant labor, accompanied with loss 
of sleep, and indifferent food, was enough to wear 
down both the spirits and body of the most buoyant 
and muscular man ; and when was added to these 
the constant hurrying shouts, threats and curses of 
the officers ; the grease, filth, storms, upsetting and 
stoving of boats, as well as other daily casualties 
and disasters, was it strange that I should have 
regarded my situation as intolerable ? Ah reader ! 
there is but little poetry in such a life ! If you 
can enjoy yourself and be happy, under such cir- 
cumstances, you are altogether worthy of being 
ranked among whalemen. But if you think you 
cannot, do not go to sea — take the advice of one 
who has been through the mill and stay where you 
are. As to a fortune, think nothing about it, for 
you will never make one by going to sea before the 
mast in a whaler ; but if making a fortune be really 
your wish, go to selling clams, or peddle with a 
pack on your back, or with a classic hand-organ go 
to grinding music at half a dime a tune ; by patient 
industry in any of these you may possibly succeed, 
but in a whaler you never can. Some wag of a 
writer has represented the world as an oyster, and 
that he that would thrive and grow fat must open the 
shell and eat at his leisure. To him who has a 
golden pick and a silver crowbar, the oyster is easily 
unquarried ; but to the poor lean-pocketed devil 
who has nothing but a wooden pen-knife to com- 



96 Five Years Before the Mast. 

mence his labors with, it is quite questionable 
whether he will not starve before he can make an 
incision large enough to get even a peep at the con- 
tents within. 

An uninterrupted success of a few weeks con- 
tinued to crown our labors, during which all hands 
began to nourish the hope of filling the ship with a 
full cargo of oil in a very short season ; but as time 
advanced, our luck diminished so unexpectedly, that 
on the approach of the following January we had 
barely a thousand barrels of oil. We were now 
well assured of having to weather out a twenty-two 
months' cruise. Whale were gradually becoming 
more scarce ; and those few which yet remained in 
the vicinity of the " ground," were so shy that it 
was difficult to get within an hundred yards of them. 
The season was also near its close. The feed which 
was gathered in masses across the sea, began to 
assume a grayish cast ; and losing its nourishing 
properties, with the departure of its red color, the 
whale abandoned it, and sought a subsistence in 
other regions of the sea. There was no use in 
cruising where nothing was to be gained, and ac- 
cordingly, about the first of February, we closed 
our labors on the Southern Banks and bore away 
for the Falkland Isles. 

It was during our journey to the last named 
island, and while lying to at night, that I became 
a witness to an amazing, and, to me, inexplicable 
phenomenon. It was usual on board the ship to 



Five Years Before the Mast. 97 

keep one or two men on the lookout during the 
night ; my turn came at two bells in the mid- watch. 
I had not been on deck over half an hour, when 
the sea, at all points, began to assume a brilliant 
appearance. My first impression was, that some 
bright meteor might be trailing its tresses through 
the sky ; but on casting my eye upwards, I saw 
the heavens were clear, and no sign of any shooting 
star or meteor was visible in the horizon. The 
wind, which at first moved so gently as scarcely to 
stir the sails, that flapped lazily above, freshened 
up into a stiff breeze, raising a thousand waves 
along the waters, the caps of which changed their 
sparkling whiteness to a bright vermilion. I stood 
in mute astonishment and wonder, watching the 
progress of the changing colors, until at last the 
whole scene, as far as the eye could penetrate 
along the horizon, presented an ocean of rolling 
and burning lava. The wind still increasing, the 
caps of the waves shot up into the air like flames 
of fire, while the myriads of particles of spray 
that darted from them, shone with a splendor equal 
to the sparks of a fiery furnace. The sails and 
rigging of the ship were lighted up alow and aloft, 
while the skies above, eclipsed by the glittering 
brilliancy of the nether element, appeared robed 
in a mantle of darkness. I could stand it no 
longer, but hurried into the cabin to call the cap- 
tain ; for I thought that, like the ancient Ulysses, 
we had sailed into the regions of hell, and was 



98 Five Ybaes Before the Mast. 

anxious to ascertain if the captain was aware of 
our locality. The captain hastened on deck with- 
out dressing, and remained a few minutes enjoying 
the scene ; and then laughing heartily at my 
frightened looks, returned below. I have often 
since beheld these phosphorescent appearances of 
the sea, but I do not recollect of ever having 
witnessed another of such extreme magnificence 
and grandeur, as that which I saw on our journey 
to the Falkland Isles. 

Early in March we arrived in the vicinity of the 
Falklands. We made the coast of one of the 
middle isles; and one or two cases of scurvy 
having occurred on board, the captain thought it 
advisable to get something fresh from the land 
for the relief of the invalids. To this end the 
first and second mates, with four men and two 
muskets, were sent on shore to hunt some fresh 
game, and Mark Leighton and myself obtained 
permission to join this company. No one can 
imagine with what strange feelings of delight I 
once more trod on the face of mother earth. I 
had not even seen land since we left the Western 
Isles, a period of nearly seven months, so that the 
very touch of even a barren soil, rendered me as 
nimble as a grasshopper. I jumped, hopped, and 
skipped about, like a lost dog that has suddenly 
found his master, and kicked Mark Leighton two 
or three times in my paroxysms of joy, before he 
would cut up as many capers as I did. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 99 

After rambling about a mile from the sea, we di- 
vided into parties of two and two ; and as the mates 
appeared determined to monopolize the muskets, 
the rest of the party were obliged to content them- 
selves with clubs. Leighton and I soon fell in 
with a flock of wild geese, and I expressed my 
regret at the absence of the muskets ; when Mark, 
observing that there were other ways of catching 
geese, let fly his club among the flock, killing one 
outright and wounding another. I immediately 
pursued the wounded one, and soon succeeded in 
securing it. These geese appeared remarkably 
tame, and when assailed with clubs or guns, would 
rise on the wing a short distance into the air, and 
circling round a few times, would alight again upon 
the ground within shooting distance. In the course 
of a two hours' ramble, my friend and I killed as 
many geese as we could carry, upon which we 
made the best of our way back to the boat, where 
we were soon greeted with the appearance of the 
rest of our party, who also returned loaded with 
the same game. We then returned to the ship, 
where for a week it was goose pie, roast goose, 
goose stewed, goose boiled, and indeed the whole 
ship's company began to assimilate to the carniva- 
rians on which they fed. 

We now stood away to the eastward, along the 
coast of the Isles in search of whales, of which 
we saw several'; but on our approach they invari- 
ably swam for the kelp which grows along the shores, 



100 Five Years Before the Mast. 

and in which pursuit was impossible. A few days 
of fruitless toil, satisfied the captain of the folly of 
fishing along those barren shores, upon which he 
directed his course towards South Georgia. Two 
days sailing, however, during which we encountered 
a cold storm from the south, convinced him that 
the season was too far advanced for whaling in so 
high a latitude, and once more changing the direc- 
tion of the vessel towards the Falklands, we soon 
afterwards cast anchor in a small bay, near the 
mouth of Berkley Sound. 

The second day after anchoring at the mouth of 
the sound, the captain concluded to pay a visit to 
the governer of the Islands, who was a British 
naval officer. We started immediately after break- 
fast, on a beautiful morning, and after rowing some 
ten miles up the sound, came in front of a low 
stone edifice, in which the governor held his court, 
and which was also the only habitation on the 
island. His household, comprising the whole popu- 
lation of the country, consisted of two Spanish 
women, an old negress, two male servants, and 
two Buenos Ayrean Spaniards, the latter being 
kept on the island for the purpose of catching 
wild cattle. The captain purchased of the gover- 
nor two bullocks at a cent a pound, which, with 
the aid of the two Spaniards, we killed and dressed 
in the afternoon, and permitting the governor to 
retain the hides we conveyed the beef to our boat, 
and in the evening returned with it to the ship. 



Five Yeabs Befoee the Mast. 101 

For a week, during which we watered our ship 
and repaired our sails, we continued at anchor in the 
bay. As the crew were not limited in their move- 
ments to a very strict discipline, I had frequent 
opportunities of exercising my legs by a walk on 
land. I made one or two exploring expeditions to 
different points of the island, but fell in with few 
objects of interest other than wild geese and pen- 
guins. The geese on the island were, however, 
shy, and it required something more than a club 
to capture them. The penguins, on the contrary, 
were so tame that in walking over their rookeries, 
I was obliged to kick them from under my feet. 
My friend Mark, who sometimes shared my ram- 
bles, often amused himself by kicking them down 
the rocky precipices some hundred feet into the 
sea. They tumbled from rock to rock in their 
descent, in such a manner that one would have 
imagined the flesh all knocked from their bones, 
♦and yet, when they finally bounced into the water, 
they would flutter their fin-like wings and jabber 
to each other as if highly delighted with the fun. 
On our return to the ship we usually filled our 
pockets with eggs, which when cooked, furnished 
us an agreeable feast. I saw a large number of 
horses grazing in herds on various parts of the 
island, but they were very wild, always snorting 
and running before I had approached within two 
hundred yards of them. The herbage here for 
horses and cattle, remains good throughout the 
9* 



102 Five Years Before the Mast. 

year ; and I found growing in the grass in many 
places, a luscious looking strawberry as large as a 
common walnut. They were rich and juicy to the 
taste, but of a less delicious flavor than those of 
our own country. The general appearance of the 
islands, where I had an opportunity of seeing 
them, is not very inviting. The land is mostly 
broken and uneven, frequently running up into 
abrupt peaks and straggling ledges and ridges, 
the tops of which are rough, barren, and stony — 
no trees grow there to decorate the landscape, or 
to cast their welcome shade over the weary wan- 
derer ; but on the contrary, the whole islands are 
so utterly destitute of shrubbery, that in my vari- 
ous rambles, I never saw a bush or twig as large 
as a common dwarf elder. 

About the latter end of March, we took our 
departure from the Falkland Isles and bent our 
course in the direction of Patagonia. It was the 
intention of the captain to proceed to some point 
on the coast of Brazil, where we might procure a 
new supply of wood and water for the next season. 
But the season being yet many months in advance, 
there was no necessity for hurrying thither, and 
in consequence, the vessel was kept bearing on and 
off along the coast of Patagonia and Monte Video, 
with the prospect of falling in with spermaceti 
whale. In this voyage nearly three months were 
consumed ; but we were also enriched by the addi- 
tional capture of three spermaceti whales, which 



Five Years Before the Mast. 103 

increased our cargo of oil to nearly twelve hun- 
dred barrels, the larger portion of which was now 
spermaceti. On the 25th of June, 1838, we cast 
anchor in a beautiful bay on the coast of Brazil. 

Ilha Gfrande, or as it is styled by geographers, 
the Island of St. Sebastian, stretches some twenty- 
five or thirty miles along the coast of Brazil, about 
forty-five miles south-west from Kio Janeiro. It 
is a narrow island and quite moutainous. The 
shores on the side next the main land, are indented 
with small bays, the margins of which present a 
beautiful appearance, being thickly studded with 
small white cottages, orange groves, and cocoanut 
trees. The island is mostly in possession of coffee 
planters, who not enclosing their plantations with 
fences, but permitting them to lie together in com- 
mon along the sides of the hills, give the whole 
landscape the outline of an extensive wood ; while 
the beautiful dwellings, situated along the beach ? 
lead the eye of the spectator to imagine them 
placed on the boundaries of a vast wilderness. 

On landing in one of these sylvan bays, we 
were surprised to find the inhabitants fleeing from 
us in all directions, and so fearful that it was diffi- 
cult to get into communication with them. The 
captain, unable to account for this species of con- 
duct on any known principles, ventured to inquire 
the cause of it from some slaves whom we found 
at work in a coffee yard. We were told that two 
whaleships had landed there the previous year, the 



104 Five Years Before the Mast. 

crews of which behaved so rudely to the gentle 
senhoras, that they were all obliged to hide them- 
selves to avoid being insulted by the nasty Ameri- 
canos. On hearing this, the captain assured them 
that they need have no uneasiness in the present 
instance as his ship did not contain such a ruffian 
crew ; and pointing out to the men the impropriety 
of such conduct, cautioned us strongly against 
committing like indecencies. The whole crew en- 
deavored strictly to follow out the advice of the 
captain, and the result was that before a week had 
elapsed, many of us were on a footing of intimacy 
with several families of the island. 

Mark Leighton and myself, determining to push 
our adventures to some important result among the 
coffee planters of Ilha Grrande, were from the 
beginning, as affable and polite as our ignorance 
of the language, and other circumstances would 
permit. Mark, being able to speak a little Por- 
tuguese, possessed a trifling advantage over me ; 
but then I could play the flute, and this accom- 
plishment secured me a cheerful welcome wherever 
I went. As to discoursing, that as a general 
thing, was out of the question ; for though my 
friend knew enough of the language to ask for an 
orange, a cup of coffee, water, or the like, yet he 
was unable to hold a conversation ; and when at 
times he did attempt it, I mostly stood by like a 
deaf man at a political meeting, watching all the 
motions, but understanding nothing that was said. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 105 

Having succeeded in ingratiating ourselves into the 
good graces of a worthy family named Joaquim, 
we felt seriously the want of an interpreter, and to 
remedy this defect, we resolved to associate with 
us in our walks thither, our Portuguese shipmate, 
John Antonio. John was delighted to join in with 
us, and as he spoke the language fluently, we now 
considered ourselves a match for any adventure 
the island might present. 

I could perhaps consume a whole chapter in 
recording the several incidents that took place dur- 
ing our stay at this island ; but as it would be only 
wasting time and paper, to the exclusion of more 
important matter, I will dispatch the whole subject 
by briefly stating, that after three weeks of daily 
visits on shore, my bosom friend, Mark Leighton, 
acquired such a love for old Senhor Joaquim's coffee 
plantation, or for some object connected with it, 
that he resolved to run away from the ship ; a reso- 
lution to be set down, perhaps, as one of the import- 
ant results of our island adventures. I objected 
at first with all my might, but soon found that it 
was of no use. He swore he would go, and when- 
ever he swore he would do a thing, he was very apt 
to perform it. Much as I regret to say it, his pro- 
ject was put in execution the evening before the 
ship sailed, for he suddenly disappeared and was 
nowhere to be found. On the following morning, 
and while the vessel was preparing to get under 
way, the captain sent for me, and interrogated me 



106 Five Years Before the Mast. 

in regard to his desertion. He was pleased to 
observe, that as I was doubtless acquainted with 
Mark's previous intentions, it was my duty to have 
informed my superiors of them, that they might 
have prevented him from leaving the ship. I 
replied, in substance, that such I could easily have 
done, but in that case I would have forfeited the 
esteem of Mark, who would also have become my 
most inveterate enemy, and might have exerted 
such an influence on board, as to render me obnox- 
ious to the whole ship's company. The captain 
said that the approbation of my commander, was 
preferable to the good will of a shipmate. I 
answered, that duty and obedience at all times 
merited the approbation of a commander, and that 
in neither of these had I been negligent, but that 
no commander could justly despise a sailor for 
neglecting to betray the secrets of a friend, although 
his silence, as in the present case, might cause the 
ship the loss of an able hand. The captain ended 
the interview by going on deck, and I returned to 
the forecastle. After breakfast a few sacks of 
oranges were taken on board, when the anchor was 
weighed, and the old Hudson, again spreading her 
bleached wings to the breeze, stood out to sea. 

The night following our departure from Ilha 
Grande, I dreamed of poor Mark Leighton. It 
must be acknowledged that my feelings had become 
warmly attached to him, and I knew now of no one 
in the ship whom I could really call my friend 



Five Years Before the Mast. 107 

except old black Sam. I felt quite sorry to think 
that the various plans of adventure which had been 
formed between us, and which had been canvassed 
and re-canvassed over during a year's intimacy, 
should all be brought to naught by a brief visit to the 
coast of Brazil. My reflections also recurred back 
to Sag Harbor, and to the gentle maiden whose 
thoughts were, perhaps, at that very moment dwel- 
ling on the ship Hudson, and fondly singling Mark 
Leighton out from among all her crew ; but she 
was yet to learn, poor girl, that that last tearful 
word, "remember" uttered with a tremulous voice 
and convulsed heart, had so soon been forgotten 
by him who had so lately treasured it up as a talis- 
man to his heart. Alas ! what a melancholy 
reward for two years of faithful love, to be told 
that he for whom the aching mind had sighed and 
wept, had made his home in a distant land! and 
yet so it was ; and thus ended that intended cam- 
paign through the world, in which Mark Leighton 
was going to play so conspicuous a part. 



6lj3pfeir §ixit|. 



In which the Adventurer, without being Shipwrecked, finds himself 
unexpectedly cast away upon a foreign land. 

On the second day after our departure from 
Ilha Grande, the old Hudson breasted her way 
nobly up into the harbor of Rio Janeiro. I was 
surprised to find so large a quantity of shipping 
here, and more especially to perceive that the 
most imposing portion of it was composed of vessels 
of war. The harbor is large and commodious, 
extending near an hundred miles in circumference, 
and indented along the shores with beautiful min- 
iature bays, the margins of which are ornamented 
with elegant villas, choice shrubbery, and creeping 
vines. The scenery around the bay is delightful 
and picturesque in the extreme. The hills and 
mountains shooting up into volcanic peaks, and 
rising, range behind range, in nearly all directions, 
form a landscape, which, in grandeur and magni- 
ficence, is scarcely surpassed in any portion of the 
world. The city stands on the south side of the 
bay ; and as it extends over several hills and undu- 
lations, the eye of the stranger is not wearied with 
that uniformity of streets and houses, so frequently 
(108) 



Five Years Before the Mast. 109 

complained of by travellers in the cities of our own 
country. 

It was Saturday when we cast anchor at Rio ; 
and on Sunday the captain, with a portion of the 
crew, attended divine service on board the United 
States ship Independence, that vessel being then 
the flag ship of the American Squadron on the coast 
of Brazil. I felt quite lost in traversing the decks 
of this noble frigate. Every thing about her ap- 
peared, to my eye, in the most perfect condition 
possible. The guns, mess-chests, boats and sailors, 
were all as neat and cleanly in appearance as the 
most rigid discipline could make them. I heard 
but little of what the chaplain said, as I was too 
busy staring, with open mouth and eyes, at the 
various objects I saw around me. Once or twice I 
undertook to count the number of the crew, but 
after reaching a little over three hundred I gave it 
up. On returning from the Independence, my 
eyes rested with displeasure on the Hudson, which 
now bore the appearance of an old launch, and 
everything about her seemed to partake of the same 
character. Throughout the remainder of the day 
I watched the boats passing and repassing in the 
vicinity of the vessels of war, and I could not re- 
frain from drawing a line of comparison between 
the jolly easy kind of life these men-o'-war's-men 
were leading, and that which we whalemen were 
doomed to undergo. 

The object of the captain in putting into this har- 
10 



110 Five Years Before the Mast. 

bor was a two-fold one. We were nearly out of 
bread, and some of the crew were in need of neces- 
sary clothing to continue the cruise. It was re- 
solved among the officers to dispose of a portion of 
the cargo in exchange for these commodities, and 
on Monday morning the captain proceeded on shore 
for this purpose; but the place being so hampered 
up with absurd harbor regulations, it became impos- 
sible for us to land our oil under four or five days. 
During this period an occurrence took place on 
board the ship which eventually had a remarkable 
influence on my fortunes. 

A negro of our crew, named Bill Peterson, had, 
during the absence of the captain on shore, in some 
way offended the mate, who struck him with a stick 
of wood. This raised the resentment of Peterson, 
who, instead of obeying the further orders of the 
mate, stalked away into the forecastle to brood 
over his wrongs. On the appearance of the cap- 
tain on board, the mate gave his report of the pro- 
ceedings, and the next morning Peterson was called 
aft on the quarter-deck to render an account of his 
conduct. Peterson's version of the story conflicting 
with that of the mate, the latter called him a " liar.'" 
Some of the men now attempted to interfere in be- 
half of Peterson, who certainly had made a correct 
report of the matter, but the captain ordered them 
to be silent; and after reprimanding them for pre- 
suming to contradict the report of an officer, ordered 
Peterson to stand up to the main rigging where he 



Five Years Beeoke the Mast. Ill 

inflicted thirteen blows on his back with a rope's 
end. When the punishment was over he turned to 
the crew and told them that such would be the re- 
ward of any man who dared to disobey the orders 
of an officer in his ship. 

"Mr. Denison," said he, turning to the mate 
and handing him the rope's-end, " I give you this, 
and whenever you find one of the crew stubborn, or 
disobedient, use it as I have done just now !" 

Denison took the rope and threw it by the bin- 
nacle, after which he, and the rest of the officers, 
proceeded to breakfast in the cabin. 

Mutiny, and its consequences, were often themes 
of discourse among the men in the forecastle, and 
it had often been a matter of query and speculation 
among them, how our captain would act in case a 
crew were to rebel against his authority. Some 
were of opinion that he was a man not to be trifled 
with ; and others, among whom was the second 
mate, thought so highly of his firmness and decision 
of character, that they were firmly persuaded none 
but the most turbulent, and fool-hardy subordinate, 
would ever have the courage to disobey an order 
from Captain Green. His will, they said, was 
supreme, and absolute on board, and have it he 
would, regardless of consequences. With them 
there could then be no such thing, on the part of 
Captain Green, as the rescinding of an order, when 
once given. 

Such in the forecastle being the opinions of the 



112 Five Years Before the Mast. 

crew, in respect to the captain, it is scarcely to be 
wondered at that they should have remained silent 
when forbidden to speak. Yet though his boasted 
firmness was sufficient to prevent any immediate 
tumult, to the discerning eye, it was evident enough, 
that the lowering looks, and calm demeanor, of the 
larger portion of the crew, denoted the approach 
of a storm that was to end in the destruction of the 
rope's-end power entrusted to the mate, or in the de- 
struction of a portion, at least, of the crew. The 
captain himself, doubtless perceiving that matters 
were tending to a somewhat serious crisis, and per- 
haps not desiring to have his firmness put to the test, 
commenced being very civil and pleasant, but the 
men, though silent and obedient, were not so dull as 
not to comprehend his meaning. 

On the second day after Peterson was flogged, 
the captain obtained a "permit" from the Custom 
House to land his oil ; and in the evening, when 
returning from the shore, gave us, in the boat, an 
order to hold ourselves in readiness, at three o'clock 
in the morning, to hoist an hundred barrels of oil 
into the lighter. On arriving on board the ship we 
found the men at supper in the forecastle, and can- 
vassing the subject of flogging, which had been the 
principal theme of their discourse ever since the 
mate had been clothed with rope's-end authority. 
Old black Sam was strenuous for overhauling the 
captain on the subject, but the chief difficulty ap- 
peared to be the adoption of a plan to make him 



Five Years Before the Mast. 113 

hear us. Sam proposed that we should all refuse 
duty at once, which would compel him to hear our 
complaints, or to procure aid from a vessel of war 
to put us in irons for mutiny. I then informed Sam 
of the captain's orders, in respect to hoisting the 
oil out at three o'clock in the morning, and ob- 
served, that if to strike was their intention, a more 
favorable opportunity would perhaps not present 
itself. The whole crew caught greedily at the idea ; 
•and at nine o'clock, when we went to our bunks, it 
was resolutely agreed among all hands, not to hoist 
out a single gallon of oil until the captain would 
promise to rescind the flogging instructions to the 
mate. The next question was, who should commu- 
nicate our determination to the captain, at six bells 
in the morning. All had, however, heard so much 
said of his firmness, and decision of character, that 
they were afraid of incurring his displeasure, and 
consequently no one appeared desirous of volunteer- 
ing his services as a diplomatist. Old Sam at last 
pitched upon me, but I declined, in consequence of 
being only a landsman in the ship. This excuse, 
would, however, not be hearkened to by the men, 
and after some urging, I finally consented. The 
forecastle then became quiet, but it is questionable 
whether many eyes of the crew were that night 
closed in sleep. 

The next morning at three o'clock, the mate 
struck the bell with his own hand, and though we 
all heard the loud call of his voice, yet no one 
10* 



114 Five Yeaes Before the Mast. 

appeared disposed to obey it. We all lay quietly 
in our bunks, listening to the tread of the mate 
as he paced back and forth on deck. Presently 
another shout was raised in a more decisive tone, 
upon which Old Sam suggested that now was my 
time. I slid from my bunk, and dressing hastily, 
clambered up on deck. 

" Well," said the mate, holding a lantern to my 
face to discover my features, " there's one made 

his appearance at last, and a d d land lubber 

at that. What's the matter with you fellows down 
below, that you can't get on deck any more when 
you're called ? Hello, here !" added he, stamping 
on the forecastle and shouting more furiously than 
ever. "Are you all dead or drunk down here, or 
what the devil is the matter with you ?" 

"Sir," said I, "the men have determined not 
to come on deck?" 

"What's that ?" said the mate, quickly, as if desi- 
rous to weigh the full meaning of my expression. 

"The men refuse further duty," answered I, 
a until they have an interview with the captain." 

" What the devil does that mean ?" asked the 
mate. 

" It means," replied I, " that as the captain has 
instructed you to flog any of the ship's company 
whenever you please, they will not hoist out the 
oil until he rescinds that order." 

"Whew !" whistled the mate, with an exhalation 
that almost demolished the lantern. " Is that the 



Five Years Before the Mast. 115 

way the wind blows ! Rescind ? Yes, by thunder ! 
I'd call it rescind ! He'll rescind some of the 
backs of you infernal rascals for mutiny, that's 
what he'll do, and you'll soon find it out too." 

At the conclusion of these invectives, Mr. Deni- 
son gathered up his lantern and with a string of 
oaths that reached to the mainmast, proceeded to 
the cabin to enlighten his superior on the condi- 
tion of things forward, while I, in the meantime, 
returned to the forecastle, where I found all my 
companions, except Old Sam, in a paroxysm of ; 
the fidgets. In a few moments our suspense was 
terminated by the arrival of an order from the 
captain, to make our appearance at the mainmast. 
The crisis had now approached, and we all walked 
aft. A lantern stood on the fife-rail of the main- 
mast, one side of which was occupied by the cap- 
tain, and the other by the mate. The latter looked 
daggers at us as we gathered on deck, and once he 
attempted to speak, but was restrained by the cap- 
tain. The third mate, boatsteerers, and steward, 
stood around the capstan, quietly watching the 
proceedings. A tackle had been strapped to the 
mainstay by one of the boat steerers, and hooked 
to a cask of oil ; and the fall being now led out on 
the quarter deck, the captain pointed to it, and 
addressed himself to the men. 

"Now, my lads," said he, " I am in a hurry to 
get this oil into the lighter. There is the fall ; 
clap into it cheerily, and hoist it out immediately !" 



116 Five Years Before the Mast. 

The captain spoke firmly, but not in anger, and 
the mate gritted his teeth, and clinched his fists, 
but no one moved. 

" Will you do it, or will you not ?" said the cap- 
tain, perceiving that all hesitated. 

" We will not do it, Captain Green !" said Old 
Sam Malony, stalking boldly forward from among 
the crowd. 

The mate grasped a handspike and menaced the 
old negro, but on meeting a negative look from his 
commander, threw it down. 

" There is no occasion for that, Mr. Denison. 
There are other ways of settling this business, 
than by handspikes," said the captain, addres- 
sing himself to the mate ; and turning to the men 
added, " I now give you five minutes to put your 
hands to that tackle fall and hoist out this oil, or 
to go forward to the forecastle." 

At these words, one of the Portuguese, becoming 
alarmed, slipped round the main hatch and took 
hold of the tackle fall. The action, however, only 
elicited the indignation of all his shipmates, who, 
not waiting for the limited time to expire, wheeled 
away at once and marched forward to the forecas- 
tle. On perceiving this, the Portuguese let go the 
fall and followed. 

Whether it was that Captain Green was wholly 
unprepared to meet so strong an opposition on the 
part of his crew, or whether he hoped to learn 



Five Years Before the Mast. 117 

something more satisfactory respecting the origin 
of their disobedience, I am unable to say, but it is 
certain that he called a council of war among his 
officers, for the discussing of some plan to over- 
come the difficulty. What were the schemes pro- 
posed by the different members of this memorable 
junto, never transpired among the crew. All we 
can say is that after half an hour's interim, we 
were again ordered to make our appearance on the 
quarter deck. At the capstan we were met by 
our commander, who now dropped the imperative 
mood for the indicative and conjunctive, and desi- 
red us to relate all our grievances with all reason- 
able latitude, and without fear or favor to any one. 
Old Sam now became our spokesman, and gave a 
full detail of Mr. Denison's behavior from the time 
we first appeared off the Falkland isles, down to 
the flogging of Bill Peterson. His general con- 
duct had indeed been such as rendered him an 
object of particular dislike to nearly every man in 
the ship ; so that the transfer of absolute power in 
the unlimited exercise of the rope's end, was a 
direct insult to every man's feelings, of such 
magnitude as it was impossible to brook. Sam 
pointed all out in its most glowing colors, and 
finally declared that unless the order was re- 
scinded, and some further restraint put upon the 
actions of Mr. Denison, he might get a crew 
from shore to hoist out his oil, as we was fully 
resolved never to do it on any other condition 



118 Five Years Before the Mast. 

When the old black sailor had concluded, the 
captain paused for sometime, as if undecided what 
reply to make. 

"Mr.'Denison," observed he, at last, turning to 
the mate, " what is the meaning of all this ? Can 
it be possible that I have been asleep for four 
months? Are these reports indeed to be credited?" 

The mate made no reply, but stood, looking 
unconsciously down the ship's side into the lighter, 
which was awaiting the reception of the oil. 

" Well, men," proceeded the Captain, again turn- 
ing to us, " All that is past and gone .cannot now 
be remedied ; but I feel no hesitation in saying that 
hereafter I will endeavor to guard against like 
occurrences. Till this morning I have been entirely 
in the dark respecting the differences between you 
and Mr. Denison, and had I been apprised of them 
before I flogged Peterson, no rope's end should 
have crossed his back. As to the order you wish 
me to rescind, I will do it cheerfully, and I promise 
you, that hereafter, no man of you shall be flogged 
while you remain under my command. This is the 
first time in seventeen years that I have had a crew 
to refuse duty." 

" That's 'cause you never had Mr. Denison for 
mate afore," observed Sam. 

" It may be so, Malony," answered the captain ; 
" but we must harbor no resentment for the past. 
To forget and forgive is a good motto to follow.. 
I shall use you all as well as I can, at all times, 



Five Years Before the Mast. 119 

and more than that you can scarcely expect. And 
now let me see you turn to, my lads, and hoist out 
the oil." 

As we had now received all the satisfaction that 
could be expected under the circumstances, we, 
with one accord, proceeded directly to our duty. 
The fall was manned, the song rose cheerily on the 
morning air, and everything began to drive on 
among the crew as if nothing had occurred. Not 
so, however, with the mate ; he had sunk into a 
dogged silence, and sat by the mizzen mast, with 
his head leaning against the helm. What his feel- 
ings were, it is impossible to say, but the general 
one which inspired the men, was that of triumph. 
We felt that for once the roaring lion had been 
conquered. 

After breakfast I went with the lighter on shore, 
where I remained during the day, and on my re- 
turn to the ship at night, I was told that Mr. 
Denison accused me of being the chief instigator 
of the preceding disturbances, and that he had 
sworn, in the presence of one of the boatsteerers, 
to have his revenge as soon as he should once more 
get me on blue water. This intelligence, it must 
be owned, made me feel a little uneasy. It was 
evident that he had entirely forfeited the confi- 
dence of the captain ; and smarting under vexation, 
there was no knowing to what act of desperation 
his revengeful feelings might not urge him. The 
more I reflected on it, tho more I resolved to disap- 



120 Five Years Before the Mast. 

point his vengeance, and before the morning arrived 
I had secretly determined to leave the ship. 

The oil having been disposed of, and our stores 
got on board, it was the intention of the captain 
to sail in two or three days. It was therefore 
necessary, that if I intended to do anything to 
effect my escape, I must do it quickly. Fully 
bent on making the attempt, I sought the captain, 
and endeavored to procure twenty dollars from 
him, to buy some clothing, which I represented 
myself as being much in need of. He refused the 
twenty, but offered me fifteen, provided that I 
would sign a receipt for twenty. I accepted the 
proviso, as well as the cash, and proceeded on shore 
the same day, in the second mate's boat. Old 
Sam also obtained leave of absence and went 
with me on shore. The day was partly spent in 
company with each other; and in the afternoon 
my black companion expressed some surprise that 
I had yet made no move towards the purchase of 
my clothing. I then revealed to him my intentions. 
He said that he could not blame me much for 
leaving, but at the same time regretted to part 
company with one he esteemed as a good shipmate. 
In the evening we parted, with many assurances 
of remembrance, and the hope of a future friendly 
meeting. But, ah me ! how little know we of life. 
Fifteen years have never brought across my devious 
path one single glimpse of the jolly countenance of 
of the sable old sailor. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 121 

The first night on shore, I passed in the city ; 
but on the following day I became apprehensive 
that search would be made for me, and to avoid 
the chance of being discovered, I crossed over the 
bay, to Prayah Gcrande, in which little village I 
took up my residence at an English boarding house. 
Here .1 remained incognito for a period of four 
days, at the end of which I saw the old Hudson 
once more setting her shoulder to the breeze and 
standing seaward. Before she had made the offing 
beyond fort Santa Cruz, I was recrossing in the 
ferry boat to the great city of San Sebastiano. 



11 



Gfj^pfei* §ebe^ft|. 



The jour. Shoemaker, having abandoned the sea, establishes 
himself in the capital of Brazil. 

The reader will perceive that I was now cast 
upon my own resources in a foreign land, destitute 
in a manner of money and clothing, unable to 
speak the language, without employment, and with- 
out friends of whose aid I could avail myself in 
my need. Under these circumstances, not the 
most flattering indeed, I was now to commence my 
career afresh. I had left home, as already observed, 
with the prospect of realizing some little wealth, 
and after little more than a year, spent in laborious 
adventure, I found myself now in possession of 
bare ten dollars. It is true that I had an interest 
in the Hudson to the amount of an hundred and 
forty-five dollars, but that was now forfeited. Yet 
it was no great loss either, for I was indebted one 
hundred dollars for my outfit, to which sum was to 
be added upwards of seven dollars interest, and 
the twenty dollars receipted for to Captain Green, 
making in all, one hundred and twenty-seven dollars. 
My real loss then, according to the estimate, was 
only eighteen dollars. It must, however be noted, 
(122) 



Five Years Befo're the Mast. 123 

that my chest of goods on board the ship was sacri- 
ficed, as well as a good suit of clothing left at Sag 
Harbor. On the whole, I perceived that my finan- 
cial affairs were evidently on the decline, and I 
began to doubt whether my sea adventures were 
likely to be attended with better success than those 
of the land. But the step, being taken, could not 
be retraced, and I was too much of a philosopher 
to fret about trifles. 

The first question with me was, what should I 
do for a livelihood ? I was as yet but an indiffer- 
ent sailor ; and besides there were but few Ameri- 
can merchant vessels in port, and those few were 
none of them in want of hands. The shoemaking 
business appeared to offer some chances of employ- 
ment to a journeyman, but I had no tools. I could 
however think of nothing else, in which I could 
hope to make a living, and, regardless of tools, 
began to search around for employment. Work was 
soon obtained from a firm, named Bridges & Payler, 
who kept a large shoe establishment in the Rue de 
Ovidor. These men kept in their employ some 
five or six journeymen, and from ten to twelve 
slaves. Mr. Bridges was originally a Bostonian/ a 
relative of the Hon. Daniel Webster's, and had 
emigrated to Brazil about the year 1818. He had 
accumulated a handsome property. He was- a lib- 
eral, kind-hearted, benevolent mail, and during tho 
five months spent in his employ treated me with 
every mark of kindness. 



124 Five Years Before the Mast. 

In a country possessing a delightful climate, a 
busy population, and an endless variety of delicate 
and delicious fruits, it might be deemed supposa- 
ble that one could make himself quite comfortable ; 
but it was invariably my misfortune to be afflicted 
with annoyances. If nature had blessed the land 
with an everlasting summer, it had also cursed it 
with interminable hordes of fleas, which rendered 
my night so uncomfortable as to be an absolute 
punishment to me. Mr. Bridges, commiserating 
my sufferings, at last offered me lodgings at his pri- 
vate residence, which was situated about a mile 
from the city, in a beautiful little place called De 
Gloria. Here I had a cot slung from the ceiling 
in the centre of my bedroom, and puzzled the fleas, 
when getting into it, by undressing on a chair. 
There was, working in the same shop with me, an 
Englishman named Wilson, who also, for a while, 
experienced much vexation from these troublesome 
vermin ; but he eventually hit on a plan by which 
his nightly troubles were, in some measure, neu- 
tralized. Being of a convivial temperament, as 
well as a lover of the wine cup, he proposed that 
we should send out nightly for a couple of bottles 
of wine, over which we might drink success to the 
Empire of Fleas, with which title he had dubbed 
the territories of Don Pedro Begundo. To this 
arrangement I consented, and on the appearance 
of the wine we usually commenced singing songs, 
and continued without intermission until the whole 



Five Years Before the Mast. 125 

was consumed. He mostly indulged in English 
compositions, and I in American — it was John Bull 
against Brother Jonathan. When the wine was 
exhausted, two-thirds of which usually fell to his 
share, Wilson would retire to his bed about three 
sheets in the wind, when he slept, as he said, so 
soundly that the flees could not wake him up. Mr. 
Bridges, feeling himself agreeably amused at our 
singing, often passed the evening with us, and 
sometimes added a third bottle, by way of contin- 
uing the entertainment. 

Wilson had formerly resided in Buenos Ayres, 
in which city he had a house of his own, and where 
he had also been married to a beautiful English 
woman, brought to that country by a British officer. 
After his marriage, he went to keeping a public 
house, and for a year or two did a respectable busi- 
ness, but his wife falling in love with a Scotch 
adventurer who boarded in the establishment, eloped 
with him, and came to Rio, to which place the run- 
away pair were soon afterwards followed by Wil- 
son. A brief search around the city, placed the 
wife again in the power of her husband, who brought 
her to reside at Mr. Bridges' house until a vessel 
should depart for the " Rio de La Plata." Here 
she was closely watched by her husband. But in 
spite of his vigilance she managed to get out of the 
house at the end of two weeks, and again decamped 
with her paramour. For a full week after her dis- 
appearance Wilson was almost distracted at her 
11* 



126 Five Years Before the Mast. 

loss, and ran wildly about the city inquiring after 
her, searching every private nook with the vehe- 
mence of a madman. Disheartened and fatigued 
with his search, he at last became reconciled to 
his misfortune, and having exhausted his ready 
funds, in pursuit of his faithless better half, he was 
obliged to go to work on the bench for money to 
defray his expenses back to Buenos Ayres. 

In my daily walks I had frequent opportunities 
of familiarizing myself with the different streets 
and buildings of the city, and of acquiring some 
little knowledge of the manners and customs of the 
inhabitants. The city covers an extensive area of 
land, but in consequence of being interrupted by 
hills, it is irregularly built, and the houses lack that 
uniform and compact appearance which so fre- 
quently characterizes cities of the northern portion 
of the continent. In some parts the dwellings form 
a respectable appearance ; but in general they are 
low and inelegant. Along a large proportion of 
the streets they compose but one story, the front 
sides decorated with double doors, usually opening 
one-half above the other. The streets are narrow, 
short, frequently crooked, and not very well paved. 
Along the most fashionable thoroughfares, the 
shops of the citizens make a tasteful display of 
their wares, many of the windows exhibiting a skill 
and taste in the mechanical and fine arts, that 
justly rivals any thing of a like kind in the cities 
of the North. The churches are numerous, and 



Five Years Before the Mast. 127 

many of them, from their architectural style, form 
a very imposing appearance. The wall and altars 
of the interior are gorgeously decorated ; and the 
floors, painted in cement, or elegantly laid in rich 
mosaic, form almost a museum of fantastical figures 
to the eye of a Yankee mechanic. On the north- 
ern side of the city, and fronting the bay, is the 
palace of the emperors. It is a huge square pile, 
not very high, and displays remarkable talent in 
point of architecture. It is always surrounded 
with a body of armed police, which impresses the 
mind of a stranger with the idea of a military gar- 
rison rather than with that of a palace. In the 
southern portion of the city is a large public square 
or common, known as the Camp de St. Anna. 
The senate hall, a very magnificent structure, forms 
the chief feature of attraction in this portion of 
the metropolis. Public parades and public execu- 
tions, also, at times, give an additional interest to 
this common. The aqueduct by which the city is 
watered, and which has been constructed at an 
immense amount of labor and expense, is doubtless 
j the most extraordinary structure in the vicinity of 
Rio. It begins at a torrent, bursting from the side 
of a mountain near the sea, and after winding, for 
a distance of five miles, in a serpentine course, along 
the ridges of the hills, finally terminates in a vast 
reservoir, situated on a high eminence in the 
suburbs of the city. Between the site of the basin 
and the neighboring hills, it passes, for near half a 



128 Five Years Before the Mast. 

mile, over the tops of the houses on arches, an 
hundred feet high. The whole masonry is con- 
structed of blue freestone, beautifully hewn, and 
forms an admirable appearance. At the lower end 
of the Rue de Miserecordia (street of Mercy) stands 
the public hospital, a noble edifice, the northern 
wing of which flanks boldly out into the waters of 
the bay. Circumscribed between this and the 
southern projection of Castle Hill, are the build- 
ings and grounds of the foundling hospital, an insti- 
tution deserving some particular attention in con- 
sequence of the part which it performs in the 
economy of Brazilian society. 

In the main avenue of the city, a short distance 
west from the public hospital, stands an elegant 
looking stone building in a somewhat isolated posi- 
tion. There is nothing very remarkable in its 
external appearance, other than that the front is 
destitute of windows, with the exception of one, 
and in this is fixed a hollow cylinder, some two feet 
or more in diameter, so as to be easily turned with 
the hand. When an illegitimate child is born, the 
mother of which is desirous of hiding her shame* 
from public scrutiny, the little creature is carried 
to this house by some friend or servant of the 
mother, and placed in the cylinder. In a short 
time the cries of the new and tender visitor will 
arrest the attention of the abbess, who is always 
in attendance, and who now takes it from its hollow 
residence and examines it very closely. If a name, 



Five Years Before the Mast. 129 

written instructions, or any valuable jewel, accom- 
pany the child, it is carefully noted down in a book, 
together with the date of its appearance, after 
which it is clothed, fed, and prepared for its future 
instruction. 

The government now becomes the guardian of 
the infant. If a boy, he is placed at a military or 
naval school, as soon as his age will permit, and 
grows up a sailor or a soldier ; and if a girl, she is 
sent to the female department of the hospital, a 
species of nunnery, in which she is instructed in 
household duties, and taught the most useful 
branches of learning, as well as the higher accom- 
plishments of music, drawing, painting, &c. 

When a female infant has once become an inmate 
of this institution, there is no prospect of her ever 
being released, except in being reclaimed by her 
parents, or in getting married. The former is, 
unfortunately, of very rare occurrence, and they 
are so entirely cut off from worldly intercourse, by 
lofty walls and grated windows, that the latter 
becomes a hope equally faint, and with many even 
more distant. They do, however, by talking through 
iron-barred windows, and by looks, songs, and other 
attractions, arrest the attention of young men 
from without, when an epistolary correspondence 
is originated, in which the billets of the lovers are 
exchanged by means of silken cords, let down from 
the loops and windows above. In this manner 
alliances of marriage are formed between these 



130 Five Years Before the Mast. 

unfortunate maidens of the inner, and sympathizing 
young men of the outer world. Four days in the 
year are set apart as nuptial days, on which all im- 
patient lovers are permitted to claim their mistresses 
and release them from their secluded abode. But 
to marry a girl out of this institution, requires two 
necessary qualifications. The applicant must, in 
the first place, be a member of the Roman Catholic 
Church, and as the government awards the found- 
ling a marriage portion of some five hundred mill- 
reis, he is compelled, in the second place, to give 
bonds in a like amount of money to guarantee the 
wife's protection and maintenance. 

It appears to be the settled conviction of many 
persons that institutions of this kind are but little 
conducive to the morals of society. It is contended 
that the most stringent laws of even our own colder 
regions are found inefficient in restraining the evils 
of bastardy ; and that in a country where both the 
climate and the temperament of the inhabitants 
induce to sexual commerce, an institution of this 
kind offers a premium to licentiousness. But with 
all due deference to these opinions, my experience 
leads me to differ from them. If the whole number 
of illegitimate children, born in any one of our 
own cities of like extent with Rio, could annually 
be estimated, it would perhaps be found to equal, 
if not to exceed that of the latter place ; and when, 
moreover, is to be thrown in the balance the crime 
of infanticide, a thing of rare occurrence in Rio, 



Five Years Before the Mast. 131 

the question of morals will incline against our side 
of the isthmus. The argument that such institu- 
tions are a drain upon the treasury of the govern- 
ment, is no objection at all, as all treasuries are 
yearly replenished by taxation of the people ; and 
who is not conscious of the large amount of money 
annually stripped from our communities in the 
shape of taxes for the support of illegitimate 
children in our alms-houses, and for the mainten- 
ance of convict mothers in our numerous state 
prisons, who have rendered themselves criminal 
in the destruction of their own offspring. But 
aside from the question of morality, I am still 
persuaded that this hospital system possesses some 
advantages over our own, inasmuch as it enables 
many a frail and erring mother to maintain her 
standing in the social circle, from which she is too 
often shamed into degradation and infamy among 
us ; while, at the same time, it furnishes a safe 
asylum to the tender infant, and as it grows up 
instructs it in various branches of learning, and 
thus enables it to discharge the common duties of 
life when arrived at maturity, a thing fatally over- 
looked in our own country, in the rearing of chil- 
dren of similar origin. 

It sometimes occurs that females confined in this 
unsocial residence, fall heirs to handsome fortunes. 
I was informed of an instance where a young me- 
chanic married a girl out of the hospital, who 
received for her marriage portion a sum of fifteen 



132 Five Years Before the Mast. 

thousand millreis. About four years after her 
marriage, the lady took sick and died. The 
widower subsequently tried his luck by marrying 
again out of the same institution, and his second 
wife fell heir to an estate valued at twenty thousand 
millreis. At the time I was in Rio, he was con- 
sidered a wealthy man, and lived like an eastern 
nabob. 

The population of the city of Rio may be esti- 
mated at something over two hundred thousand 
inhabitants, the most important body of which is 
composed of Brazilians and Portuguese. There is 
a respectable sprinkling of Spanish and French, 
some Germans, and a few English and Americans. 
The latter, however, with the exception of a few 
mercantile houses, are mostly adventurers. The 
slaves compose by far the greater bulk of the popu- 
lation, outnumbering all the whites at a ratio of 
about three to two. The streets are literally alive 
with them ; they are frequently seen trotting along 
the streets in droves, loaded with sacks of coffee, 
rice, salt, cotton, &c, which they invariably carry 
on their heads. They are meanly clad, the only 
covering of the males being a kind of coarse short 
trowsers, reaching from the waist to the thigh; 
and numbers may at any time be seen prowling 
about the wharves of the city, without any other 
covering than that afforded by a handkerchief 
pinned about the body, and hanging like an apron 
down before. The clothing of the female is, how- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 133 

ever, less exceptionable in the city, though, in the 
country it is chiefly limited to the short hempen or 
cotton petticoat, extending from the hip to the 
knee. Some occasionally show a disposition to 
modesty, by hanging a cotton napkin about the 
neck, in such a manner as to conceal the bosom. 

The treatment of slaves is, perhaps, in no coun- 
try where the system of slavery exists, such as a 
philanthropic man could wish to see imposed ; but 
it is more than probable that it is marked with a 
greater excess of inhumanity in Brazil than in any 
other country throughout Christendom. Kindness 
and liberality are virtues scarcely known in the 
vocabulary or feelings of a Portuguese slaveholder ; 
while avarice, usurping in his heart the place of 
humanity, leads him to grind down his slave to the 
last extremity of life. Hence the treatment of the 
slave may be set down as no treatment at all. He 
is compelled to work the whole of the time for his 
master, and keep himself out of the extra. As to 
his food, it is perhaps of a sufficiently wholesome 
character, but too often deficient in quantity, and 
seldom well prepared ; while, in addition to running 
naked, he is usually obliged to pass his nights, 
during the rainy as well as the dry season, under 
the dewy heavens, without a bed ; or if in the city, 
he may avail himself of a shelter in his master's 
entry or shed, or may even find a more classic 
lodging under the portico of a gorgeous church. 
Alas ! what a commentary on that gospel which 
12 



134 Five Years Before the Mast. 

says, " Do unto others as you would that others 
should do unto you." 

The services of slaves are, in this region, not 
confined alone to out-door employments or planta- 
tion labor, but every department of mechanical 
occupation may be found filled with black men ; 
and it is also worthy of remark that a slave who is 
a mechanic, a master of his trade, will command in 
the market a price nearly double that of one who 
has been only accustomed to plantation labor. 
Many slaves are owned by men who have them- 
selves no employment for them, but who hire them 
out, or even give them permission to be masters of 
their own time, on condition of paying a certain 
stipulated sum weekly. Instances are known where 
some, who had obtained the latter privilege, paid to 
their masters their weekly contributions, and by a 
continued course of perseverance and economy, 
were in a few years masters of a sufficient surplus 
fund to buy their own freedom. But, unfortu- 
nately for the great mass of the degraded race, 
few masters are to be found thus liberal, nor are 
there many slaves to be found capable of practising 
so unswerving a round of industry and self-denial. 
The disposition of men, who let out their slaves, 
appears to be to task them to the full extent of their 
abilities, and some even charge upon them a larger 
sum than they can raise, and then punish them at 
the end of the week for being unprepared to pay 
their required stipend. As an instance of the 



Five Years Before the Mast. 185 

meanness to which a slaveholder can bring himself 
to condescend, I will here notice a case that came 
to my own personal knowledge at Rio. 

A master hired out his slave at five millreis per 
week. The fellow was frugal and industrious, and 
contrived to pay up his master regularly for some 
weeks. The master then demanded a weekly pay- 
ment of six. The additional millrei the slave also 
paid regularly, without a murmur. At the end of 
two months the slave, finding himself in possession 
of a surplus sum of five millreis, ventured to lay it 
out in the purchase of a lottery ticket. In a few 
weeks the ticket, to his inexpressible joy, came up 
a prize of ten thousand millreis. In his moments 
of ecstacy, he ran to communicate his good fortune 
to his master, and desired to know what portion of 
it would purchase his freedom. The master, ex- 
tremely pleased at the good fortune of the faithful 
Pedro, promised him his freedom on condition of 
dividing the spoils share and share alike. To this 
the slave consented, and the two proceeded to the 
bank to secure the money. The cash was counted 
down to the master, who received the whole, and 
sticking it coolly in his pocket, turned round upon 
the innocent Pedro and accused him of stealing 
the money with which the ticket was bought. In 
vain the poor slave denied the charge. His master 
was inexorable ; he had him arrested and scourged 
to the number of three hundred lashes for theft. 
The poor negro, heart-broken and lacerated, was 



136 Five Years Before the Mast. 

then placed on board a vessel and sent to the 
province of Rio Grande, where his master sold him 
for four hundred millreis. The same slave, if the 
generosity of his master has not annihilated him, 
is now dragging out a miserable existence on a 
sugar plantation. 

The slave trade is still carried on to some extent 
within the territories of Brazil ; but the number 
of British cruisers constantly prowling about the 
coast, renders the traffic unprofitable, and some- 
what hazardous to those engaged in it. Several 
slavers, with their cargoes on board, were captured 
and brought into the port of Rio Janeiro, while I 
resided there, and as I had read much in the Eng- 
lish prints respecting the odiousness of slavery, the 
wickedness of enriching the pocket from the sale 
and purchase of human blood, and the humane 
conduct of the British government in endeavoring 
to suppress the traffic, I became desirous of learn- 
ing something of the manner in which these disin- 
terested charities on the part of Great Britain 
were managed. I perceived when these cargoes 
of slaves were brought into port, notices were 
immediately posted up along the streets of Rio, 
informing the citizens that any desirous of procuring 
"servants or apprentices," could do so by applying 
on board her Britanic Majesty's ship Stag, and 
entering into certain obligations with Com. Sul- 
livan. All such as were in need of uninstructed 
negroes, fresh from the Gold coast, went to Com. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 137 

Sullivan and bargained somewhat after the fol- 
lowing fashion : 

1. They were to pay forty dollars for an able- 
bodied negro. 

2. They were to have him for five years. 

8. They were to learn him a trade, or instruct 
him in service. 

4. They were to enter into recognizances for his 
restoration to the British authorities at the end of 
the five years. 

These stipulations complied with, the purchaser 
was at liberty to choose one or more negroes from 
the cargo and depart with him at his pleasure. It 
may readily be supposed that on such liberal terms 
a cargo of slaves could soon be disposed of, and 
especially so, when the British Commodore was so 
excessively liberal as to be entirely indifferent con- 
cerning the character of the surety. 

The restoration of these " apprentices, or ser- 
vants,'' at the end of five years, was claimed by 
the British authorities, with a view to their coloni- 
zation to Sierra Leone. Were the intentions fol- 
lowed out to the letter, it would, doubtless, be all 
well enough ; but, unfortunately for the poor 
blacks, there are two defects in the system which 
invariably defeat them. First, as the absence of 
the "apprentice," after having become useful in 
his trade, would be a loss to the purchaser, the 
latter never thinks of restoring him to the British 
authorities ; and, second, as the British authorities 
12* 



138 Five Years Before the Mast. 

cannot colonize the apprentice without incurring 
some expense, they never think of reclaiming him. 
His sale was profitable and brought forth prize 
money, but there is an outlay in sending him to 
Sierra Leone. Pro and con, on the purse, make a 
vast difference in British humanity. But should 
enquiries be made in reference to any one of these 
apprentices, at the end of five years, it would be 
found that his master had removed with him to 
parts unknown ; and if search was put on foot for 
the surety, he too would be found gone with another 
of the servants, and the two blacks, at the very 
time, would more than probably be toiling and 
sweating on some plantation in a distant portion 
of the empire. But no matter. The British au- 
thorities received sixteen thousand dollars for the 
brig, and eight thousand dollars for the slaves; and 
twenty-four thousand dollars is a snug little sum 
of prize money, if it even be obtained by a seizure, 
which the same government, eighty years ago, 
would have designated as an act of piracy. 

From the foregoing considerations, and a few 
others which might be adduced, I am constrained 
to say that whatever be the encomiums lavished 
upon the British method of suppressing the slave 
trade on the coast of Brazil, it brings but few 
blessings to those Africans who are once brought 
within the boundaries of that Empire. They be- 
come slaves as effectually and everlastingly, by the 
English apprentice system, as if sold into bondage 



Five Years Before the Mast. 139 

by the original kidnapper ; while the British offi- 
cers and the British government go snacks in the 
speculation, and pocketing the cash for the vessel, 
and the cash for the slaves, gain thereby a glorious 
reputation for disinterested benevolence, humanity, 
and philanthropy. Tell us, ye charitable aboli- 
tionists of Britain, who denounce a portion of the 
American people as bloodying their hands in human 
gore ; and you, also, who regardless of the op- 
pressed of your own country, throw your thousands 
of pounds m the lap of the benevolent-hearted Mrs. 
Stowe, to extirpate the system of slavery ; would it 
not be as creditable to yourselves, and the cause 
you espouse, to wash the stain from your own fin- 
gers before you attempt to gouge out the eyes of 
those whom the by-gone policy of your own gov- 
ernment has irretrievably cursed with the perni- 
cious institution you so much despise ? 



Stj^pfei" £igl|ftj. 



The Jour. Shoemaker, bidding good-bye to the Bench, takes again 
to Salt Water, and is sent on board a Ship against his own con- 
sent. 

In a somewhat obscure portion of the city of 
Rio Janeiro, adjoining to Castle Hill, stood an 
elegant public house, which was kept by a person 
of doubtful character. The name of the indi- 
vidual was Surfe. He was a German by birth, but 
spoke the English, French, Spanish, and Portu- 
guese languages, with a fluency equal to that with 
which he iterated his own vernacular. He had 
formerly been employed as a spy by the Emperor, 
Don Pedro the First, during the turbulence of the 
latter portion of his reign. He was a gambler by 
profession, and in general bore the reputation of 
being a bad man, but by a polished exterior, and 
by the fluency with which he spoke the various 
languages, he always contrived to attract a large 
concourse of visitors to his house. His billiard 
rooms were superbly furnished, and almost con- 
stantly filled with strangers. He was supposed to 
have been concerned in two or three murders, 
which had been committed in the city, but as no 
(140) 



Five Years Before the Mast. 141 

proof could be elicited in support of the accusa- 
tion, it of course amounted to nothing. 

Among the inmates of this establishment, was a 
pretty English girl, named Mary Mertle. This 
young woman had resided in Rio some months be- 
fore my arrival there. She had been brought to 
Brazil by her father, who was a miner, and had 
been employed at the gold mines, but who, becom- 
ing dissatisfied with his employers, as well as the 
country, resolved to return to England. On his 
arrival at Kio, finding no vessel bound directly for 
England, he was induced to take up his lodgings 
at Surfe's until one should be ready to sail. The 
beauty of Mary attracted the attention of Surfe, 
who, though already in possession of two wives, 
determined if possible to possess himself of this 
girl's charms. Mary being persuaded that he was 
a single man, lent but too willing an ear to the flat- 
teries of Surfe ; and her unsuspecting mind, being 
captivated with the prospect of becoming the mis- 
tress of so fine a mansion, induced her, in an evil 
hour, to desert her parents. Surfe, to make sure 
of his prey, secreted her in one of his private dens 
of which he had a number in different parts of the 
city. When the ship was ready to sail, Mary was 
nowhere to be found, and the humane captain, sym- 
pathizing with the parents, delayed sailing for two 
days in order that the search might be continued 
for her. But all the efforts set on foot for her 
recovery were useless,, Mary was still lost ; and 



142 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the sorrowing parents, weary and disheartened, 
finally took their departure for England, in tears, 
for the loss of their only child. 

On the departure of her parents, Mary reap- 
peared, and became the principal feature of attrac- 
tion at Surfe's house. But being a little vain, she 
loved to be flattered by the young men with whom 
she would converse ; and the humorous pleasantries 
in which she indulged with them, soon aroused the 
jealousy of her paramour. For a while he smoth- 
ered his passion ; but becoming linked in with a 
Spanish desperado, named Trifarier, w T ho did all he 
could to fan his jealousy into a flame, he soon gave 
way to fits of ill humor. The patient Mary was at 
first only greeted with curses, but by degrees his 
passion took a sterner shape ; and at times his con- 
duct was marked with such brutality that the ob- 
ject of his vengeance was compelled to flee his 
house, and shelter herself, until the storm had sub- 
sided with an acquaintance of hers, named Margaret 
Ferguson. It was at the house of the last named 
person that I first beheld Mary. I had never been 
at Surfe's house, but on being invited thither by 
Mary I resolved to visit its wonders. I went, and 
being delighted with the elegance of the billiard 
rooms, I at once lent them my patronage. No 
misunderstanding ever arose between the proprietor 
and myself, nor was I conscious that he ever nour- 
ished the least evil thought against me, until apprised 
to the contrary by the friend of Mary. I was one 



Five Yeabs Before the Mast. 143 

night sitting quietly in the bar-room of Mrs. Fer- 
guson, eating an orange, when the latter entered 
and whispered in my ear, that Surfe, and Trifarier, 
were in the kitchen plotting some evil against me. 
The thought for the first time struck me, that he 
might possibly suspect an intimacy between Mary 
and myself, and hence I believed it best to move for 
home. I started immediately, and in stepping from 
the door into the street, was confronted by Trifa- 
rier, who darted from an alley and flourished a 
knife. At the same instant, Surfe appeared at the 
corner of the house, and grasped at me to intercept 
my passage ; but darting hastily by him, I hurried 
rapidly on towards the palace square. Both pur- 
sued after me for some distance ; but finding me too 
expert in the athletic exercises for them to win the 
game, they finally abandoned the chase ; while I, 
changing my course into the Rue do Ovidor, wended 
my way to the residence of Mr. Bridges. 

Some three weeks following the preceding inci- 
dent, a respectable Spanish gentleman suddenly 
disappeared from the world ; and as he had been 
last seen at the house of Surfe, it was strongly sus- 
pected that he, or some one of his associates, had 
put him out of the way. The matter soon raised a 
considerable excitement, and the suspicion being 
daily strengthened against Surfe, by the concur- 
rence of circumstances, soon led to his arrest. 
About a week after his imprisonment, the evidence 
against him was rendered still more conclusive, by 



144 Five' Years Before the Mast. 

the discovery of the missing gentleman's remains 
in an excavation in Castle Hill, immediately in the 
rear of Surfe's house. Trifarier was also suspected 
of being implicated in the murder, and would have 
been arrested, but taking time by the forelock he 
managed to make his escape, and thus added an- 
other proof of the guilt of Surfe. 

While Surfe was awaiting his trial in prison, his 
lawful wife concluded to let the public house at 
rent, and a female adventurer distinguished at Bio 
under the soubriquet of Scotch Liz, became the les- 
see. Mary still remained under the administration 
of Liz ; and the coast being now clear of all ene- 
mies, my visits to the rooms were resumed with a 
greater frequency. 

At this juncture of affairs, I found myself placed 
in a kind of dilemma. I loved to play billiards 
exceedingly well, and to play billiards required mo- 
ney, and there was not much money to be made in 
Rio by bottoming fine boots at one dollar a pair. 
What was to be done ? I set my wits to work to see 
if I could not hit on a plan to make money a little 
faster, but I could suggest none that I thought 
would work. It appeared to me that I would either 
have to cut loose from the billiard rooms, or cut 
loose from the bench ; and after revolving the sub- 
ject in my mind for a few days, I determined to do 
both. I was a little influenced in coming to this 
decision, by a young man named Andrew M. Gis- 
ney, who had quitted a merchant ship at Rio, in 



Five Yeahs Before the Mast. 145 

which he had come out as second mate. Cisney 
and I resolved to try our fortunes in the United 
States' Exploring Squadron, commanded by Lieut. 
Wilkes, which had then touched at Rio harbor on 
its way to the South Pacific. In pursuance of our 
enterprise, we went on board the Peacock, in which 
vessel Cisney succeeded in shipping as master's 
mate. I made an attempt to ship as purser's stew- 
ard, but was told by the purser that his profits 
would not enable him to employ a steward. I then 
went on board the Vincennes, where I offered to 
ship before the mast. They were in need of a few 
able seamen, but as I was too inexperienced to pass 
for an able seaman, they declined shipping me. 
They finally offered to receive me on board the 
schooner Flying-fish, which was attached to the 
squadron, but I declined going in her, and fortunate 
I was, in objecting, as the schooner, and all her 
crew, were shortly afterward lost in the Straits of 
Magellan. The Peacock was also subsequently lost 
at the mouth of the Columbia river, but by extra- 
ordinary exertions her crew were saved. 

Having missed a berth in the exploring squad- 
ron, I began to look in the direction of the Brazil- 
ian merchant service, and after searching two days 
among the shipping, finally entered my name on a 
small brig, bound up the coast for a cargo of coffee. 
My wages were settled at eighteen milreis per 
month, and small stores found. We sailed the day 
following that on which I had shipped, and though 

13 



146 Five Years Before the Mast. 

we had a head wind for two days, we managed to 
beat up the coast as far as Ilha Grande. I now 
became anxious of getting some intelligence of 
Mark Leighton, and endeavored to persuade the 
captain to put into Palmas bay and anchor there 
until the wind should change ; but he appeared 
little disposed to come to a halt, and I had conse- 
quently to give up the prospect of seeing my old 
friend that trip. 

After a voyage of four days we arrived at our 
place of destination, which was a small village some 
few leagues above the town of Angra, and imme- 
diately commenced taking on board our coffee. 
During the process of loading, the chief labor of 
which was performed by the slaves of the neigh- 
bouring plantation, the Captain gave us our board- 
ing on shore, and permitted us to roam at our own 
pleasure. I had thus an opportunity of witnessing 
a little more of Brazilian manners. As the house 
at which we lodged was that of a wealthy planter, 
and owner of some sixty or seventy slaves, I anti- 
cipated a more luxurious appearance within than I 
had been accustomed to witness in the oven-like 
edifices of Rio, and the rural cottages of Ilha 
Grande, but in this I was somewhat disappointed. 
The house was divided into only two apartments, 
without any upstairs or chimney. There were holes 
for the windows, but no glass in them. The fur- 
niture consisted of a large table, made from a rough 
plank hewn out with an axe, a bench of like con- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 147 

gtruction, four or five stools manufactured in the 
same rude style, and a large rush mat, thrown for 
a carpet on a clay floor. In the adjoining room I 
noticed two or three bedsteads of very rude shape, 
and a large clothes-chest, somewhat resembling the 
arm-chest of a vessel of war. On being called to 
dinner, several dishes were placed before us, but 
knives and forks there were none on the table. All 
took their seats, the family as well as those from the 
brig. Two fine looking girls, daughters of the plan- 
ter, sat at the upper end of the table, near their 
parents. There was no bread, but in lieu of it 
there was a delicate kind of cake, prepared from 
the common cassada of the country, which was very 
hard and dry, but which, on being saturated with 
coffee, became softer than the pulp of the ripest 
orange. There was also a species of coarse meal, 
manufactured from the same root, which, on re- 
ceiving the addition of a little beef gravy, formed 
quite a delicious morsel to the taste. The natives 
rolled it up into little balls with their fingers, and 
giving them a quick toss into their mouths, snapped 
them up with the facility of pet spaniels. I watched 
the motions of the rest, with a desire to imitate 
them. As soon as- I thought myself sufficiently 
instructed, I rolled up a ball and gave it a sling, 
but missing my mouth, the ball unfortunately struck 
me immediately under the nose, and tumbled back 
into my lap. Nothing daunted, I grasped my ball, 
and rallied for another attempt, at the same time 



148 Five Years Before the Mast. 

casting my eye round the table to see if any one 
had noticed the failure of my first experiment. I 
fancied I saw a smile crossing the features of the 
captain, but caring nothing for him, I threw back 
my head, and opening my mouth upward like the 
crater of a volcano, gave my ball another throw, 
when in it went, and disappeared downward as 
smoothly as an oiled bullet. When once in, I 
found this farinhia quite palatable, and between it 
and roast beef, baked yams, fish, oranges, sweet 
potatoes and bananas, I managed to fare about as 
well as I had done at the house of Mr. Bridges. 
In a fewtlays, the slaves having completed the 
loading of our vessel, we bid farewell to our new 
acquaintances and returned to Rio. 

During my absence from the city, which was a 
period of three weeks, the trial of Surfe had taken 
place. The evidence against him was not suffi- 
ciently strong to convict him of murder in the first 
degree, but he was nevertheless proven to have 
participated therein, and was consequently sen- 
tenced to seven years hard labor in the galleys. 
I had the satisfaction of seeing this hardened crim- 
inal led from his prison in chains, and conveyed to 
his future home on a fortified island opposite to the 
city. 

As soon as my business in the brig would per- 
mit, I made a visit to the residence of Scotch Liz. 
I found poor Mary sick. She had then been 
reduced to her bed for a period of two weeks, and 



Five Years Before the Mast. 14§ 

according to her own statement, had been shame- 
fully neglected by many who had formerly pro- 
fessed to be her friends. Those who had admired, 
courted and flattered her in her hours of health and 
beauty, abandoned her on the bed of sickness ; and 
this unhappy reverse, falling with an icy chill on 
her wounded heart, made her regret deeply and 
feelingly that she had ever permitted herself to be 
led astray from the protection of her tender parents. 
She was anxious to set up in bed, but found her- 
self unable to rise, and on being helped up by me, 
she commenced weeping, and asked me if she did 
not look wonderfully altered. I observed that she 
certainly was very sadly reduced, but hoped that a 
few days might bring a change for the better. 
Words of hope and encouragement, however, had no 
cheering effect on her mind, for she shook her head 
with a sigh, and answered that she had no hope 
of ever recovering. 

"Yet," observed she, her tears starting afresh, 
" I believe I would feel better to-day if I had a 
little something warm to eat." 

"Something to eat!" exclaimed I; "does not 
Liz furnish you with victuals ?" 

"I have not seen her in four day!," articulated 
the weeping girl. " The last time she was here, 
she came in company with Mrs. Surfe, who was so 
kind as to bring me a few clean clothes." 

On learning this, I repaired immediately to the 
kitchen, and ordered the cook to make a bowl of 
13* 



150 Five Years Before the Mast, 

mutton broth, which I carried up to the invalid. 
She ate about half of it, and setting the rest on a 
stand by the bedside, for future use, expressed her- 
self as feeling much refreshed. I shortly after- 
wards took my leave, with a promise of calling to 
see her again in the course of two days. During 
the remainder of the week we were, however, too 
busy in taking on board a second cargo to spare 
any man from the brig, and I was consequently 
obliged to postpone my visit to the shore for a 
period of four days. As soon as I was able to 
procure leave of absence, I repaired once more to 
the residence of Liz, but found poor Mary's trou- 
ble had ceased for ever. She had died the second 
night after my former visit, and was inhumed by 
the city undertakers in the pauper vault in the 
rear of the public hospital. 

There are some things in the world which, when 
once known, make the heart shudder to think of 
them ; and the last resting-place of the unfortu- 
nate Mary was one of this kind. Let the reader 
imagine to himself an immense pit, winding its way 
deeply into the earth, its dark stone walls encirc- 
ling bones of departed humanity, piled layer upon 
layer, until terminated at the surface with the 
bodies of those who have last made their unhappy 
transit from the world; let him behold the up- 
turned faces of the dead, mingled confusedly 
together, without distinction of sex or color, many 
of them unclad, and their glassy eye-balls strained 



Five Years Before the Mast, 151 

as if grasping vainly for one faiut gleam of heav- 
en's pure light ; let him with his hand remove the 
stone that guards the entrance to this gloomy 
eternity, and as the bright sun penetrates below, 
look down. Here he will behold, exemplified, the 
ravages of the fell destroyer in their most revolt- 
ing form, not only in the ghastly visage of the 
sable African, and the pale cheek of the departed 
maiden ; but youth, beauty, manhood, tender in- 
fancy and old age, are all smitten together in one 
common heap of mouldering death, the slime of 
their corruption oozing from the sewers of the vast 
reservoir, and mingling with the waters of the 
neighboring bay; let him, if he can, imagine such 
a place, and he will have some faint conception of 
the last resting-place of poor Mary Mertle. 

I know not why it was, but on the very night 
after I had learned the fate of the unfortunate 
Mary, I found myself, at a late hour, sitting on the 
stone that covered the entrance to this gloomy 
charnel. At any former period, nothing would 
have induced me to go there, yet now I sat un- 
conscious of surrounding objects, meditating on 
the past, present, and the future, and occasionally 
bending my eyes along the northern horizon in 
vain search of that polar star, whose faint though 
sparkling ray was at that moment shedding its dim 
lustre over the hills and valleys of my native land. 
Then the images of once beloved forms arose be- 
fore my fancy, mingling their smiling faces with 



152 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the pallid features of the departed Mary; and 
■when I called to reflection the immense distance I 
was from them, the thought arose in my mind how 
easily a slight chill or casual fever might suddenly 
cut short my career, and send me to sleep my last 
long sleep with Mary, in this solitary though 
densely peopled tomb. The thought was so hor- 
rible that I rose hastily to depart, but felt myself 
arrested by a rude grasp from behind. With hair 
standing erect, I turned quickly round and con- 
fronted three soldiers, two of whom had already 
pinioned my arms, while the third was flourishing 
a sabre over my head. I struggled to release 
myself, but it was of no use, for they were both 
stout men, and held me as firmly as if I had been 
fixed in a vice. I judged from the military char- 
acter of their dress, that they were in the employ 
of government, and inquired, as well as I could, 
if they belonged to the police; but they only 
answered by telling me that I must go with 
them. I was presently convinced that they were 
attached to a press-gang, and finally told them that 
they had no business with me, as I was an Ameri- 
can. By this time three or four more made their 
appearance, and one of them having heard my 
remark, asked me to show him my protection. 
This I did, and though he held it up to a lantern, 
he could not read it, but handing it to one of his 
comrades, observed that it was a sham protection, 
as the name of the American Consul was not 



Five Years Before the Mast. 153 

attached to it. I now begged them to go with me 
to the house of Scotch Liz, where I hoped to prove 
my citizenship, and have the protection interpreted. 
They accompanied me thither, and I had Liz called 
to the door, but on referring my situation to her, 
she denied knowing me, and told me I ought to be 
ashamed of refusing to serve my country. I re- 
plied that I was not ashamed to serve my country, 
but that I would see her and all the infernal tribe 
of Brazilians to their Patron Saint before I would 
serve any country that harbored her. The soldiers 
set up a loud laugh when this sally was interpreted 
to them, and two men, taking hold of me by each 
arm, gallanted me off a la mode militaire to a place 
called the "Banes," where I was locked up for 
the night, and left to select my own lodgings on 
the softest spot I could find on a stone paved 
floor. 

On the following morning about sunrise, I was 
guarded to the wharf, in company with three or 
four more melancholy looking customers, who, 
doubtless, felt about as deep an interest in the pro- 
ceedings as myself. Here a boat was in waiting 
for us, in which we were commanded to take our 
seats. Our guard was then dispensed with, and 
we were rowed off on board a frigate, called the 
"Prince Imperial. ,, I now began to have some 
indistinct foreknowledge of what my destination 
was to be. I had before learned that the Prince 
Imperial was being equipped for an expedition 



154 Five Years Before the Mast. 

against the rebels, at Bahia ; and I now suspected 
myself in a fair way of getting into a scrape, where 
there would be some breaking of heads, and slitting 
of noses, as well as a strong smell of gunpowder. 
With some disagreeable presentiments as to future 
results, I crawled away into a corner of the ship, 
to brood over my misfortunes. The brig in which 
I had been employed, would sail this day, and I 
felt certain that all my wages there, would be a 
clear loss. My clothing, which was also on the 
vessel, I felt desirous of having conveyed to the 
house of Mr. Bridges ; but as I was prohibited from 
having any communication with the shore, I was 
compelled to give them up as lost too. I felt 
strongly inclined to hunt up the captain of the frig- 
ate, and make to him a full statement of my case ; 
but as I could speak but little of the language, I 
finally concluded that it would be of no use. Every 
thing about the ship wore a disagreeable look ; the 
men were black and sullen ; the rations looked more 
like a mess prepared for a herd of swine, than for 
seamen ; and even the commandant, with his black, 
hairy visage, and broad licentious grin, bore a nearer 
resemblance to an epauletted Ourang Outang, than 
to a naval officer. Altogether, I began to consider 
my situation here, as worse than it had been in the 
whaler ; and I thought Mr. Denison, with all his 
faults, a much more agreeable officer than this 
cocked-hatted Brazilian. Each day I became more 
restless, and cursed Scotch Liz a thousand times 



Five Yeahs Before the Mast. 155 

over ; for I felt sure that she could have prevented 
my impressment, had she been disposed to do so. 
I would gladly have run away, could I have done 
so — aye, at the rate of forty miles per hour — but I 
was cooped up beyond the possibility of doing any 
thing for my personal liberty. Occasionally I 
measured the distance to the shore with my eye, 
to see if I could swim it, but it was a vain hope, 
next to desperation, and I did not yet look upon my 
case as so far beyond the possibility of redemption, 
as to justify suicide. 

When I had been on board about ten days, a 
boat from the American ship Independence, came 
alongside the Prince Imperial, to invite the Brazil- 
ian officers to a ball, which was to be given on 
board the former vessel; and while the Yankee 
midshipman w r as communicating his message in the 
cabin, I glided down the ship's side, to the boat, 
and requested one of the men to transmit a few 
lines for me to the American Consul. He con- 
sented to do so, and writing a brief note in pencil 
on the back of my protection, directed it to 
the Consul. The boat rowed off, and my spirits 
immediately revived at the prospect of once more 
becoming my own master. Like a drowning man 
grasping at a straw, I was elated at the merest 
trifle that led to a hope of liberty. It was a thou- 
sand chances to one, whether my lines would ever 
find their way to the office of the Consul; but not- 
withstanding, I continued to hope. Each night I 



156 Five Years Before the Mast. 

repeated to myself, that to-morrow would be my 
last stay in the dismal service, but was as often 
doomed to disappointment. 

Some eight days after the dispatch of my note 
with the Independence boat, a Brazilian officer 
came on board, and ordered me to be called up. 
After a number of questions relative to my impress- 
ment, the most of which I understood but im- 
perfectly, he presented me my protection, and 
asked if that belonged to me. I answered in the 
affirmative, upon which he had a shore boat called 
alongside the ship, and ordered me to get into it. 
As I walked over the gangway, he told me I was 
now my own master, and might go wherever I 
pleased. I thanked him for his kindness in my 
own language ; and observing to the boatman, that 
it was the only good news I had heard in three 
weeks, directed him to row me to the landing at 
the Hotel Phareaux. 



fifj^pfei* %it)tt\* 



The adventurer introduces himself on board an American man- 
o'-war and becomes a member of Uncle Sam's Mess. 

In having escaped the clutches of the Brazilians, 
I considered myself very fortunate, notwithstanding 
I had lost nearly a month's wages in the brig, and 
more than three weeks' time in the Prince Impe- 
rial. But though I congratulated myself on being 
again free, I knew not how long that freedom might 
last. In a government, under which life is but too 
often a secondary consideration to property, and 
where affluence alone can command the protection 
of personal rights, a poor man seldom meets with 
a ready redress of grievances. The last four 
weeks had given me an ample sufficiency of Brazil ; 
and I was well convinced that my personal rights 
and safety could be in no way better secured than 
by getting out of it. To return home became now 
my most ardent wish ; but there appeared no way 
of accomplishing it than by working my passage 
home gratis ; and I possessed too much pride to 
reappear among my former friends in a situation 
little short of downright beggery. Under these 
adverse circumstances, the most promising resource 
14 ( 157 ) 



158 Five Years Before the Mast. 

that seemed to offer itself, was the United States 
Navy. The squadron had then been on the coast 
some eighteen months, and would certainly return 
home within two years. I had now, in some meas- 
ure, become accustomed to a man-o'-war, and was 
satisfied that unless the treatment proved too out- 
rageous, I would be able to endure the service. 
An enlistment also secured me a sure passage 
home, while my wages would enable me to make a 
moderately respectable appearance. All things 
running thus favorably into my new project, I went 
to the house of Mr. Bridges, to make immediate 
preparation for leaving Rio. In two days all was 
completed, upon which I went and gave Scotch 
Liz a broadside in the tongue line, as sailors say, 
and then took up my line of march for the land- 
ing. Here I found one of the Independence boats 
just quitting the wharf for the ship. I asked the 
officer of the boat, who was a passed midshipman, 
for a passage to the frigate, and on receiving his 
nod of assent, took my seat opposite to him, in the 
stern sheets. He kept a scrutinizing eye upon me 
for some time, and when finally clear of the crowd 
of boats that continually obstructed the landing, 
he commenced a series of questions in a strain of 
inquisitiveness that would have done credit to the 
most thorough-bred Yankee. 

" Have you any acquaintances on board the ship 
you wish to see ?" observed he. 

I answered in the negative. 



Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 159 

" Just going to see the ship, eh ?" 

" No, sir ; I have some notion of shipping." 

" Of shipping, eh ?" 

" Yes, sir— of shipping." 

"What countryman are you? An English- 
man ?" 

"No, sir, I am an American." 

" How did you come to Rio ?" 

" I came in a whale ship." 

" In a whale ship, eh ? Did you run away from 
her?" 

" Yes, sir, I did." 

"What made you leave her?" 

" I did not like the work, sir." 

" The work, eh ? Was it too hard for you ?" 

" Yes, sir." 

" Better stayed ashore then, for you'll never do 
for a man-o'-war." 

" Why so, sir ?" inquired I. 

" Because we are obliged to work day and night 
in our ship." 

" So they were in the whaler." 

" But our work is very hard/' 

" So it was in the whaler." 

" But they flog the men in our ship." 

" So they did in the whaler." 

" But sometimes they water the grog for us in 
our ship." 

"In the whaler they gave us no grog at all." 

" No grog, eh ! Oh, d n my eyes ! then 



160 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the whaler was the worse vessel of the two. Ship, 
by all means, ship." 

By this time we had arrived at the ship, and on 
passing over the side, the midshipman pointed out 
an officer walking on the quarter-deck, who he said 
was the first lieutenant, and did all the shipping. 
That officer, soon afterwards appearing in the lar- 
board gangway, near where I was standing, I 
immediately addressed myself to him on the object 
of my visit. He was a tall, dark-looking man, 
and heard my request with such a gloomy look as 
almost made me regret having made it. After a 
pause, however, he told me that he would ship me. 
I Said that I was particulary anxious to ship only 
for the cruise. But he replied by observing that 
there was no shorter period of service than for 
three years. 

64 In that case," said I, "should I ship I will 
most likely be held to general service, for the 
whole term, and be transferred to some other vessel 
at the termination of the cruise." 

" Such a thing might possibly occur," replied 
Mr. Pope, " although in general it does not, as it 
is usually supposed that men shipping on foreign 
stations, ship under distress, and are commonly 
discharged with the rest of the ship's company." 

"My object is to get home," observed I, "and 
if you think there is a fair prospect of being dis- 
charged on reaching the United States, I will 
enter the ship regardless of the three years." 



Five Years Bjsfoee the Mast. 161 

" I think you need feel no uneasiness as to the 
result," answered the first lieutenant, " as I am 
quite certain that such will be the case. 5 ' 

At this last remark I expressed my willingness 
to ship, upon which I was ordered with the master- 
at-arms, to the cockpit, to be examined by the 
surgeon. This over, I was conducted to the room 
of the first lieutenant, where I subscribed my name 
to the shipping articles, and received my station. 
I was entered on the station bills, No. 307, lar- 
board watch, mizzen top, gun No. 18, mess No. 22. 

The reader will perceive that I had now got 
into a new theatre, in which all the scenes of 
action appeared so odd and strange to me that it 
took me sometime to become accustomed to the 
duties of my station. I spared no pains, however, 
in familiarizing myself with the ship and its rules, 
so that after a few days of careful observation in 
going through the routine of discipline, I became 
quite free and easy. But still, for a few weeks 
the time wore heavily away. Though in a flag 
ship, with a crew of some five hundred men, I felt 
quite lonely, as all around me were strangers ; and 
it was not until I had selected some associates 
from among the great number of strange faces, 
that I became completely reconciled to my new 
mode of life. 

About five days after my first appearance on 
board, all hands were called to witness punish- 
ment. This was a new feature to me, who had 
14* 



162 Five Years Before the Mast. 

never yet beheld a man flogged in regular ship- 
shape style. As soon as the call had sounded 
along the decks, the master-at-arms, proceeding to 
the forecastle where several men were in confine- 
ment, knocked off their irons, and led them to the 
mainmast. All the ship's company, in the mean- 
time, had gathered into the gangways and on the 
booms, w r hile the officers, armed with cutlasses and 
swords, occupied the starboard side of the quarter- 
deck. I procured a station as near as practicable 
to the mainmast, in order to hear and see all that 
passed. As soon as the commodore appeared, all 
the officers took off their caps. The commodore, 
having the offences of each man written on a piece 
of paper, commenced reading them over; and 
calling up the prisoners one by one, inquired of 
them if they were guilty or not guilty of the 
charges alleged against them. 

" Guilty,' ' answered prisoner number one. 

"Well," proceeded the commodore, "it is not 
my desire to have you punished ; but as the law 
authorizes its infliction, it becomes my duty to see 
it enforced. Do you not hear the articles of war 
read every month ?" 

"Yes, sir, I do." 

" And do they not say that drunkenness shall 
be punished by twelve lashes with the cat-o'-nine- 
tails, at the discretion of the. commanding officer ?" 

" Yes, sir, they do." 

"And with a full knowledge of the law and its 



Five Years Before the Mast. 163 

penalty, why will you still presist in getting 
drunk?" 

" I don't know, sir ; its a bad habit I've got 
into, and can't help it." 

" Strip ! strip !" said the commodore, hastily, 
with a severe look. 

The prisoner now bared his back and walking 
up to the bulwarks, took his stand on a grating, 
to which his feet were tied by the quarter-master. 
Two heavy shot boxes were then placed on the 
grating to keep it from being raised up by his 
struggles. His hands were next tied to the ham- 
mock nettings, as high as the arms would permit, 
after which the quarter-master withdrew. The 
commodore then nodded to the boatswain's mate, 
who stepped forward, and laying aside his hat, 
picked up the green handled cats. After drawing 
his fingers through the lashes so as to clear them 
of all kinks and tangles, and guaging his distance 
by reaching out his arm towards the prisoner, he 
suddenly threw his right foot back, and drew a 
stroke across the bare body of the prisoner, that 
left nine purple streaks reaching from shoulder to 
shoulder. This was followed up by eleven more, 
the master-at-arms counting aloud at each blow. 
At number twelve, the commodore cried, "stop," 
when the whipping was suspended, the prisoner's 
hands and feet released, and himself ordered for- 
ward to his duty. The next offender was then 
called up, who underwent a similar punishment; 



164 Five Years Before the Mast* 

and then the third, and so on to the end of the 
chapter; and what was most remarkable to me, 
they all seemed to plead guilty to the charges. 
As soon as the punishment was over, all hands 
were piped down. 

I must confess that this scene awakened a series 
of impressions in my mind that it would be impos- 
sible for me to define. I felt deeply agitated 
during the whole proceedings ; and it was not 
until after the lapse of a few hours, that my 
nerves regained their wonted calmness. A few 
repetitions of these naval exercises, however, cured 
me so effectually of these tremors, that after a few 
months' residence on board, I could witness a pun- 
ishment with the stoicism of an American Indian. 

The Independence had been lying in the harbor 
of Rio Janeiro, denuded of her sails, for sometime 
before I joined her, and she continued at her 
moorings for many weeks after, before any move- 
ment was made towards going to sea. During this 
period nothing worthy of remark occurred on 
board to mar the general good will and harmony 
that prevailed among the crew; and I became so 
well satisfied with my situation, that I would 
scarcely have exchanged it for any other mode of 
life. 

Sometime in April, 1839, three months after my 
enlistment, we bent our sails, weighed our anchors, 
and put out to sea. Our place of destination was 
Montevideo, on the Rio La Plata, where we arrived 



Five Years Before the Mast. 165 

arrived after a voyage of ten days. The sloop Fair- 
field and brig Dolphin, had preceded us to the 
La Plata, and were then both at Buenos Ayres, 
while our anchor was cast at Montevideo. While 
at this place an amusing incident took place on 
board our ship, the particulars of which related to 
an English sailor, who had shipped in the Indepen- 
dence some months before. 

It appeared that this man had previously been 
enlisted in an English sloop of war called the Elec- 
tra, from which he had deserted on the coast of 
Brazil. As none, only such as claim to be citizens, 
are ever received into the American navy, he had 
as a matter of course represented himself as a real 
native to Commodore Nicholson. But things be- 
ing, somehow, not altogether to his liking in the 
Yankee navy, he became dissatisfied, and grew so 
obstreperous that the commodore, to acquaint him 
a little with Yankee tricks, tickled him up with the 
cat-o'-nine-tails. This sat so ill on the back of the 
English recruit, that he swore he would leave the 
ship ; and the Electra happening to be there in 
the port of Montevideo, he contrived to get to 
some of her officers a knowledge of his present 
locality. The commodore, being informed of his 
movements, gave him another dozen with the cats, 
to remember the Yankees by, and then sent him 
on board the British sloop of war, where he re- * 
ceived a few dozens more in welcome of his return. 

During our sojourn at Montevideo, the French 



166 Five Years Before the Mast. 

fleet formed a line of blockade on the Rio La 
Plata, in consequence of which none but vessels 
of war were permitted to pass up the river. The 
Fairfield and Dolphin had proceeded to the port 
of Buenos Ayres for the purpose of rendering 
protection to such American citizens as were suf- 
fering from the effects of the war. All commercial 
business had in a measure ceased, and the unsettled 
state of the Colonies rendered the situation of many 
of the inhabitants somewhat precarious. Many 
mechanics sought employment elsewhere, and such 
as conveniently could, had recourse to the sea. 
About a dozen or more of all nations, but who 
nevertheless represented themselves as American 
citizens, took refuge on board the Dolphin, and 
offered to ship in her. But that »vessel, being des- 
tined for home at an early day, her captain, Mr. 
A. S. McKenzie, brought them down to Monte- 
video to try their luck in the Independence. They 
were immediately transferred to our ship, where 
they remained two days before an examination was 
held in respect to their citizenship. Some of them 
had never been in the United States, but still all 
were strenuous in declaring themselves full-blooded 
Yankees. One of them in particular, an Irishman 
fresh from the sod, was very anxious to learn how 
he should comport himself in order to pass for an 
American, and took a number of lessons on the 
subject from some of his countrymen in the ship ? 
prior to being questioned by the first lieutenant. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 167 

At length the time came for them to ship. Mr. 
Pope had them called aft, one by one, and several 
were the laughable incidents and mistakes that 
occurred, until finally Mr. Patrick McShane was 
called up. Patrick made his debut on the quarter- 
deck with a quite well assumed dignity ; but when 
the first lieutenant fixed his dark countenance 
keenly upon him, he began to tremble, and clutched 
his poor old hat so tightly, that the crown was in 
imminent danger of collapsing with the pressure. 

" Well, my lad, what is your name?" said the 
first lieutenant, with a smile at the frightened looks 
of the would-be American. 

" Patrick McShane, yer honor," answered Pat, 
giving his old hat a spasmodic twist. 

" Patrick McShane ? You must then be an Irish- 
man, Patrick." 

"Divil a dhrap of it, yer honor; I'm a hearts- 
blooded American." 

" What part of America were you born in, Pat- 
rick?" proceeded the first lieutenant. 

" In Philadelphy it was where I've a sisther 
living till this very day, and sorry I am for the 
hour I ever left it." 

"Do you know what State Philadelphia is in?" 

" Is it the State it's in, yer honor manes ?" said 
Pat, scratching his head, and trembling from head 
to foot for his citizenship. 

a That's just what I mean, Patrick. If you were 
born in Philadelphia, you cannot be ignorant of the 



168 Five Yeaes Before the Mast. 

State it is situated in. How long did you live in 
Philadelphia ?" 

" Faith an' was'nt I born there, and lived in the 
same place from a wee boy up ?" 

" And cannot tell what State it is in ?" 

" Yis, yis, yer honor ! its just afther popping 
into my mind. Isn't it what ye's call Pennsyl- 
vany ?" 

" That's it, Patrick !" exclaimed the first lieu- 
tenant, laughing. " You must be c.a American, I 
perceive ; but I shall have to test your geography 
a little further. Is Philadelphia a large or a small 
city?' 

" A large city it is, wid beautiful strates crossing 
each other, for all the world jest like the strakes of 
a chess-board." 

" Very well answered, Patrick. Now tell us what 
rivers are near Philadelphia ?" 

" Sure an' isn't there a large river ye's call the 
Schuylkill?" 

" Yes, but which side of the city is it on ?" 

" Isn't it on the north side, yer honor ?" 

a I ask you which side it is on ? But I see you 
are a little out in your reckoning, Patrick. Are 
there any other rivers beside the Schuylkill ?" 

" Och, sure an' there must be. Isn't it another 
large river ye's afther spakin' of?" 

"Very likely, Patrick; but what is the name 
of it ?" 

" Doesn't it run close by the town ?" continued 
Pat, considerably perplexed. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 169 

" All very likely, Patrick ; but what is the name 
of It?" 

"Yer honor axes the name of it?" 

" I do ; what do you call the river ?" 

Patrick M'Shane scratched his head, and rolled 
his eyes sideways, like a rabbit, at his more suc- 
cessful companions in the larboard gangway. But 
no one appeared disposed to intercede for him, and 
the first lieutenant stood awaiting his answer. 
Finding his citizenship sinking rapidly in a name- 
less river, he thought it best, if possible, to capitu- 
late on honorable terms. 

" Och ! could'nt your honor take me aboard, 
barrin' the name of the river ?" exclaimed he, with 
a most strangely contorting countenance. 

"I cannot, Patrick ; the law excludes all but 
Americans.'' 

" Och ! murther and turf ! that I should forget 
the name of that river — the very wather on which 
I was bred, and fished in more nor a thousand 
times ! By the wars ! yer honor, but that Spanish 
powther, tother day, must have driv my senses till 
the very divil, or ye's would'nt find me botherin' 
so. Is'nt it the Jarsey river yer honor manes?" 

" There's no such river in Pennsylvania," said 
the first lieutenant laughing. " The river I have 
reference too, is called the Delaware." 

" Divil-maware ! Och ! divil take me, if that 
is'nt the very same name ye's have all the while 
been botherin' me to think of ! Divil-maware ! 
15 



170 Five Years Before the Mast. 

och, honey ! but I shall be sure to keep it in my 
head now." 

" It does not matter much, Patrick, whether you 
do or not," replied the first lieutenant. "I per- 
ceive you cannot pass for an American, and I shall, 
consequently, have to decline shipping you." 

"Your honor wont ship me thin?" 

"No, Patrick." 

" Lord ! Lord ! an' may I ax the reason why ?" 

"Because, you are not an American." 

" By the powers ! but wont a man's own country 
receive him into its sarvice ?-" 

" Your tongue, and appearance, both prove you 
a foreigner." 

" By the wars, thin ! my tongue, an' looks, both 
prove a lie, if they say I am not an American !" 

The first lieutenant walked away, while a general 
laugh arose among the seamen in the gangway. 

A boat was sent ashore in the evening, with Pat- 
rick and two of his fellow countrymen as passen- 
gers, who were landed at Montevideo, after. which 
I never saw anything more of them. Those who 
were able to sustain their citizenship, were received 
on board, and became members of the crew. 

These men were shipped under circumstances 
somewhat similar to my own. All expected to be 
discharged on the return of the ship to the United 
States, and some of them had, in fact, received 
direct promises to that effect from the commodore 
and other officers. 



Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 171 

' In a few weeks we left the harbor of Monte- 
video and returned to Rio, where we again lay for 
some length of time, and whef e an occurrence took 
place on board which may not be undeserving a 
passing notice. 

The ship Independence, under the command of 
Commander John B. Nicholson, sailed from Boston 
harbor for Cronstadt, in May 1837, with Mr. 
George M. Dallas on board, as Minister Plenipo- 
tentiary to the court of Russia. On her way 
thither, the vessel touched at the harbor of Ports- 
mouth, in England. Now whether it was that the 
treatment on board was too severe, or whether it was 
that the crew partook of so large a sprinkling of 
British seamen as to cause desertion it is difficult to 
say, but from some cause or other, it is certain, that 
a large number of those men who were permitted 
to set their feet on English soil, suddenly took 
their departure for parts unknown. The ship, in 
consequence, became short of hands ; and the com- 
modore on reaching Copenhagen, either with, or 
without the consent of his own government, thought 
proper to replace the deficiency by shipping twelve 
Danish sailors. These men were promised their 
discharge ,at the end of two years, within which pe- 
riod the commodore doubtless supposed the cruise 
would be terminated. But such, however, hap- 
pened not to be the case. Their term of service 
had now expired, and what was to be done ? The 
commodore desired them to continue service until 



172 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the ship proceeded to the United States ; but this 
they from day to day hesitated to do, and finally 
denied duty altogether. The commodore remon- 
strated with them, and endeavored to reason them 
into obedience, but they remained refractory and 
stubborn, and for a period of four days kept " back- 
ing and filling' ' about the decks like a drove of 
baulky mules. They would be cajoled by no Yan- 
kee commander, they said — they were the liege 
subjects of his Danish Majesty, who expected their 
return, and return they would. An expedient was 
at length resorted to, for the purpose of reconciling 
the misunderstanding* The commodore invited on 
board the Danish minister, to the court of Brazil, 
who, on being made acquainted with the circum- 
stances, undertook to accommodate matters. The 
men were called aft on the quarter deck, when they 
were introduced to his Danish Majesty's represen- 
tative, who at once opened to them the burden of 
his mission. He extolled their loyalty, praised 
their patriotism, flattered their vanity by frequent 
allusions to the ardent manner in which, he said, 
the American commodore had spoken in praise of 
their courage, obedience, promptness and bravery ; 
and after spinning out a speech some twenty min- 
utes in length, in which he advised them to continue 
faithful to the American service until the vessel 
returned to the United States, wound up by inform- 
ing them, that he would assume the responsibility 
of their absence from their sovereign's dominions. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 173 

The harangue proved effective. The men returned 
to their duty; while the skilful diplomatist, dined 
with the Yankee Commodore, and cracked a bottle 
of old Madeira wine to the success of the negotia- 
tion. Is it not a little humiliating to an honest 
American mind, to witness a foreign ambassador 
thus called into the service, to aid the United States 
government in maintaining subordination in their 
own navy ? 

Another month passed away, during which the 
commodore lived in daily expectation of a recall, 
but, unfortunately, no such happy order arrived. 
Things also began to assume a gloomy aspect on 
the La Plata, which made it necessary for the squa- 
dron to return thither. Shortly after our reappear- 
ance at Montevideo, the term of service of several 
of the ship's company expired. These men re- 
quested to be sent home. But the commodore, 
perceiving that the request, if complied with, must 
inevitably render his crew inefficient, refused to 
discharge them. The men, on failure of being dis- 
missed, began to murmur, and refused further duty. 
They were threatened the lash, but, like the Danes, 
they still remained refractory. They w T ere next 
placed in confinement, but with little, or no avail ; 
for each week kept adding so largely to the num- 
ber, that it became plain, unless some other method 
was adopted of settling the difficulty, two-thirds of 
the ship's company would soon be in double irons. 
A court martial was next convened to try one of 
15* 



174 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the prisoners ; but it could accomplish nothing 
aside from flogging ; and it appeared too unjust, in 
the estimation of the court, to flog a man for re- 
fusing to serve the government for a period longer 
than that stipulated for in the agreement. Yet the 
reader will, perhaps, be scarce prepared to credit 
it, when I tell him that many of these men were 
actually flogged for this very offence. Ten dollars 
of their own wages, together with three days leave 
of absence, were given to such as chose to re-enter 
for the remainder of the ship's cruise, and such as 
refused to comply with those conditions, and refused 
to return to duty, were, at the discretion of the 
commodore, tied up and flogged with the cat-o'-nine- 
tails. Now let us note the distinction in the treat- 
ment of these two classes of seamen, the Americans 
and the Danes. The Dane is talked, coaxed, and 
even treated with — all the eloquence of argument 
and suasion is resorted to, to induce subordination ; 
while the American, who had equally served out 
the full period of his enlistment, is confronted with 
court martial, hand cuffs, and cat-o'-nine-tails. The 
Dane is treated as a civilized sentient human being ; 
the American as a hardened ferocious savage ; the 
reason of the former is appealed to, while the ap- 
peal is made, with the lash, to the back and skin 
of the latter, and that too by his own countrymen. 
Surely ours may justly boast of being a progressive 
government, and one, which, if it show any distinc- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 175 

tion to persons, will mostly be found casting it in 
favor of foreigners.* 

After a period of four months spent in adjusting 
some difficulties which had originated from the 
attempt of two American merchant brigs to pass 
the French line of blockade, we left the harbor 
of Montevideo, and returned once more to Rio 
Janeiro. Here the commodore found a dispatch 
from the home government, containing the long 
desired recall. This was agreeable news to most 
of the men in the ship, although, to me, it produced 
but few pleasant sensations. A rumor had crept 
out, that those men who had shipped in the squa- 
dron, during the last two years, were to be retained 
to general service until the expiration of their full 
term. This caused me some uneasiness. I dis- 
liked, exceedingly, the idea of being sent abroad, 
on a foreign station, after my arrival at home. A 
plan soon suggested itself, by the adoption of which, 
I thought this disagreeable event might be avoided. 
The sloop Marion had lately arrived on the coast, 
without her full compliment of men, and I thought 
of having myself transferred to this ship. I con- 
ceived it preferable to endure the evils of the 
Brazilian coast, than fly to others that I knew not 
of. With permission of the first lieutenant, I 
suggested the subject to the commodore. 

* Punishment by the lash is now discontinued in the 
American navy. 



176 Five Years Before the Mast. 

" What do you want to go in the Marion for ?" 
inquired the commodore. 

" Because,'' answered I, " I may be sent to some 
other station, on reaching home— perhaps to the 
coast of Africa; and I would much rather stay 
where I now am, than go to some less healthy 
region.' ' 

" How do you know you will be sent out at all ?" 

"I do not know that such will be the case," 
answered I, "But reports to that effect, are circu- 
lating through the ship." 

" All nonsense," said the commodore, contempt- 
uously, " Those men who have shipped on this 
station, shall every one of them be discharged. I 
have already promised most of them so, and they 
shall not be disappointed. If you are anxious to 
return to your friends, stay in the ship, dont think 
of entering the Marion." 

" Well commodore," replied I, " If you think 
there is a reasonable prospect of my being dis- 
charged with the rest of the crew, I will be guided 
by your advice." 

" Think !" exclaimed he, "I know it ! I feel not 
the least hesitation in staking my pledge upon the 
result." 

With such assurances what could I do, otherwise 
than remain in the ship ? I at once abandoned all 
idea of joining the Marion, and, together with the 
rest of the men, began to make preparations for 
our return to the United States. 



Gfj^pfei* Iex|ff|. 



In which the Jour. Shoemaker finds himself overreached by a 
Commodore, and seeks his revenge in a diplomatic dispatch to 
Uncle Sam. 

It is perhaps needless to consume the time of the 
reader in detailing the uninteresting incidents of a 
long sea voyage. It will suffice to say, that we 
weighed anchor at Rio Janeiro, sometime in Febru- 
ary, 1840, and arrived at New York on the first 
day of April following, without sustaining any 
serious accident, other, than the loss of a fore and 
main topsail yard, two top gallant masts, and some 
thousand yards of canvass. On entering the East 
River, the crew became unmanageable, and began 
to leave for the shore. The ship was surrounded 
on all sides by shore boats, which were filled as 
rapidly as the port-holes could disgorge the impa- 
tient throng from within. On arriving opposite 
to the Brooklyn navy yard, it was with extreme 
difficulty that a sufficient number of men could be 
collected together, to moor the ship. This was, 
however, accomplished by the severe toil of a few ; 
and even then, only temporarily, as on the follow- 

(177) 



178 Five Years Before the Mast. 

ing day she was again unmoored, and warped to 
the wharf at the navy yard. Here we lay until 
the tenth, when the purser and. commodore, com- 
menced paying off and discharging the men. The 
business continued in operation until the afternoon 
of the thirteenth, by which time all were dismissed, 
except those who had shipped on the coast of 
Brazil. The purser then suddenly closed his books, 
while the steward removed the tables, and a sentry 
was placed at the cabin door, to prevent the further 
ingress of applicants for discharges. Not a word 
was spoken by the men, but every one seemed to 
understand the movements intuitively. It was now 
indeed, evident, that those who had yet a long time 
to serve, were not to be discharged. The bare idea, 
while it failed not of convincing the most incredu- 
lous, at the same time carried dismay to the heart 
of every man. Some frowned, until their disap- 
pointment gathered in a purple hue about their 
noses, while others bit their lips ; and those, more 
tender of heart, who had not beheld their homes 
nor friends, for many years, sat down and wept 
outright. For my own part, I took my seat on a 
shot box, with remarkable calmness, and, with my 
elbows resting on my knees, gave vent to my vexa- 
tion in semi-monotonous strains, detached from the 
tune of "Hail Columbia." Presently the commo- 
dore appeared. He smiled pleasantly, and was 
very polite. He began talking to us in the form 
of a speech. He told us he knew not yet the 



Ftve Years Before the Mast. 179 

wishes of the Hon. Secretary of the Navy in 
respect to us. He had informed him of the pro- 
mises which had been made to us in Brazil, and he 
doubted not, but that in a few days, an order would 
arrive for us to be discharged. In the meantime, 
it became necessary for us to repair to some other 
ship, until the result would be known, and he would 
recommend the North Carolina ; Captain Gallagher, 
he said, was an excellent officer, and a gentleman ; 
Captain Gallagher would treat us with every mark 
of kindness and liberality. Captain Gallagher, as 
well as Commodore Renshaw, was, in fact, adding 
his influence with the Hon. Secretary to have us 
discharged. 

At this juncture of the commodore's speech, 
Captain Gallagher appeared at the cabin door, in 
company with Mr. John Pope, our first lieutenant. 
Captain Gallagher smiled, but it was a peculiar 
smile, and such a one as no other man but Captain 
Gallagher could make. Captain Gallagher had for 
forty years been an officer in the service, and his 
countenance had worn that same smile during that 
whole period of time — no matter whether attending 
a court-martial, poring over a punishment list, or 
in witnessing an execution, it was always the same ; 
it had no benevolence in it, no sympathy, no can- 
dor ; it was cold and meaningless — a mixture of 
irony and sarcasm; an expression that seemed to 
derive a peculiar zest from witnessing the dejec- 
tion and misery of those under his command. But, 



180 Five Years Before the Mast. 

as I said before, Captain Gallagher smiled, and 
told the commodore that it afforded him extreme 
pleasure to become the commander of such a brave, 
noble, and manly looking set of men as we were ; 
that he should consider himself very happy in hav- 
ing us on board his vessel, and would treat us just 
exactly as if we were his own brothers. At this 
Mr. Pope smiled too — indeed, why should he not ? 
He doubtless understood it, and knew it was funny, 
and so his smile was a genuine one. He also 
became very bland and polite, and corroborated all 
that his superiors had stated in reference to our 
discharge, and added, for our particular edification, 
that he himself had seen the letter written to the 
Navy department by both Commodore Nicholson 
and Captain Gallagher, and that he hesitated not 
in expressing it as his sincere conviction, that in 
in less than ten days we would all be discharged. 
What in general may have been the opinion of 
the men in regard to the statements of these offi- 
cers, I was never able to inform myself, but answer- 
ing for my individual self, I am constrained to say, 
that I believed them true, and determined to await 
the result. I could, however, have wished a more 
desirable commander than Captain Gallagher, and 
felt a little dread of the North Carolina ; but as I 
felt myself likely of enduring only a short bondage 
on board of her, I looked forward to my debut 
there, with a tolerable share of composure. Such 
was, however, not the case with all the men. We 



Eive Years Before the Mast. 181 

were ordered to hold ourselves in readiness to pro- 
ceed on board the North Carolina at eight o'clock 
on the morning of the fourteenth ; but when the 
hour arrived, but bare twenty-seven, out of a com- 
pany of sixty-five, were found to answer to their 
names on the muster-roll, the remainder having 
deserted during the night. 

It would, perhaps, be a subject worthy the atten- 
tion of the general government, as well as of those 
worthy officers who were the authors of this wholesale 
"French leave," to note precisely the number of 
these thirty-eight deserters, that are likely to enter 
the navy a second time. The government often 
complain of the difficulties encountered in shipping 
seamen ; and not unfrequently are they compelled 
to send their ships to sea short of hands. These 
inconveniences, which amount to evils of no slight 
magnitude in maintaining the efficiency of a navy, 
are, perhaps, more the result of their own careless- 
ness and indifference, than of real scarcity of sea- 
men. American sailors, as well as citizens, are 
peculiarly jealous of their personal rights ; and if 
the government refuse or neglect to redress the 
wrongs and injuries, wilfully, and often maliciously, 
inflicted upon them by their captains and command- 
ants, they have little cause to murmur at any apa- 
thy or reluctance shown on the part of humble 
sailors towards entering the service. 

With those men who had returned home from 
Brazil in the sloop Fairfield, Captain Gallagher 
16 



182 Five Years Before the Mast. 

had better luck. Every man in that ship, who had 
over six months to serve, was transferred on board 
the North Carolina. 

After I had been about five days on board the 
North Carolina, though an ordinary seaman, I was 
made a quarter-master. I looked upon this as quite 
a rise in the service, and felt no slight tincture of 
pride as I strutted about the poop-deck with a spy- 
glass under my arm. To whom I was indebted for 
this distinction, I was at a loss to guess to a cer- 
tainty, but supposed it a mark of Captain Gallagher's 
brotherly affection. As this notion impressed itself 
upon me, I formed the resolution of testing his 
favor a little further. The great city of " Gotham" 
lay before me ; and feeling an inclination to behold 
some of the wonders it contained, I determined to 
ask the captain for two days' leave of absence in 
order to visit it. An opportunity presented itself 
on the following morning. The captain came on 
deck, and as he was, apparently, in a very good 
humor, I sallied down the poop-ladder, and touch- 
ing the rim of my hat, with the most profound 
respect, stood in an attitude soliciting his attention. 

" What do you want ?" asked he, very gruffly. 

" Two days leave of absence, sir," answered I. 

"What for?" 

"I wish to visit New York* sir." 

" Have you any friends living there ?" 

" No, sir." 

" How long have you been in the ship ?" 



Five Years Before the Mast. 183 

"Eleven days, sir," answered L 

" Only eleven days, and asking leave of absence ! 
Why you infernal galley-ranger -" 

"I beg your pardon, Captain Gallagher," said 
I, interrupting him. " I am one of those men who 
came from the Independence, and have been in the 
service fifteen months." 

" Ha ! that alters the case, indeed, but only to 
make it worse. Want to run two days among 
strangers — get drunk, and then cut the service 
altogether, like your thirty-eight shipmates, a'nt 
it so, you canvass-covered lubber?" 

"No, sir. You do me injustice in thinking so 
harshly of me." 

"Injustice, eh! D — n me! but I know you 
better than you can begin to know yourself. Away 
to your duty, and let me hear no more about leave 
of absence, or 111 have you to the gangway, and 
let the cats do you justice !" 

Without replying a single word, I remounted the 
poop-ladder; and, though deeply mortified, and 
perplexed at my ill-success, endeavored to assume 
a look of the utmost unconcern. The captain 
resumed his walk on the quarter-deck, and smiled 
so pleasantly, that I thought my discomfiture 
afforded him the greatest possible delight. 

About the time these events were transpiring in 
the Vicinity of New York, a great discussion existed 
between the borderers of New Brunswick and of 
the State of Maine, in consequence of the unset- 



184 Five Years Before the Mast. 

tied state of the boundary line. The hostile feeling 
had communicated itself to the fishermen of both 
countries ; and the port of Halifax, as well as the 
bay of Fundy, became the theatre of depredations 
that demanded redress. In order to prevent simi- 
lar disturbances in future, our government deemed 
it advisable to place an armed vessel on the coast 
of Nova Scotia, and in the mouth of the St. Law- 
rence ; and the sloop Preble, under the command 
of Captain Breese, was ordered to proceed thither. 
By order of the Navy Department, a crew was 
scraped together out of the Columbus at Boston, 
and the North Carolina at New York, and I 
became one of the chosen vassals for the expedi- 
tion. Notwithstanding the admiration and broth- 
erly love which Captain Gallagher expressed him- 
self as feeling towards those noble fellows whom he 
had drawn from the Independence, he managed so 
to contrive it as to have them all drafted to the 
Preble. Early in May, and before we had been a 
month under his command, some sixty of us were 
shipped on board a small schooner, and sent down 
to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where the Preble 
then lay. With our departure from the North 
Carolina, all hope of obtaining our discharge dis- 
appeared. 

On reaching Portsmouth, we found those seamen 
who had proceeded from Boston already on board 
the Preble, and busily occupied in putting things to 
rights. The ship, though newly from the stocks^ 



Five Years Before the Mast. 185 

ha^i been very indifferently rigged, and two weeks 
were consequently spent in refitting her shrouds, 
stays, and other standing rigging, before she was 
considered ready for the sea. We then sailed to the 
harbor of Portland, where we remained sometime, 
awaiting orders from Washington. Near the middle 
of June, we moved in the direction of the British 
provinces, and after visiting St. John's, Halifax, 
and other places of minor importance, we ran down 
the coast to the straits of Belle Isle, and took a 
cruise among the ice-bergs. The immense masses 
of floating ice, which we almost hourly encoun- 
tered, rendered night navigation an experiment so 
dangerous that our anchors were seldom at the 
bows for twenty-four hours in succession, the cap- 
tain always making some secure landing place by 
nightfall. The fishermen, at almost every port, or 
rather bay, into which we steered, beheld us with 
alarm. Many of them thought that war had been 
declared between the United States and Great 
Britain, and at one place the citizens actually 
bundled together their effects and took to the hills, 
under the impression that we had been sent upon 
the coast to destroy the English fisheries. They 
were, however, soon apprised to the contrary, upon 
which they became very friendly, and brought their 
wives and families to see an American man-o'-war, 
which was regarded as a great novelty by all the 
inhabitants along the coast. 

In the latter part of August, a circumstance 
16* 



186 Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 

occurred which induced the captain to abandon this 
region of fogs, gales, and ice, and wend his way to 
a more southerly latitude. In attempting to pass 
out of a narrow estuary of the sea, in which we 
had anchored during a gale of wind, the ship 
grounded two or three times heavily on the bottom 
and finally came to a total stand. It was soon 
ascertained that we were fast on a reef of rocks, 
and as the tide was nearly at an ebb, there re- 
mained little prospect of getting off before the 
following day. All hands were at once put to 
work in hoisting out the boats. The launch was 
stowed full of the ship's provisions ; the top and 
top-gallant masts were struck from aloft ; booms 
and spars were thrown overboard into the bay, and 
being rafted together, were left to lie at anchor ; 
the water was started from the tanks, and men 
were set to work in pumping it from the hold. In 
short, every method that could be thought of, to 
lighten the ship, was speedily resorted to. After 
four hours' labor, the vessel appeared to ride more 
freely, when two kedges and one of the sheet 
anchors were placed at proper distances from the 
ship, and a steady strain taken upon their cables at 
the capstan. In less than an hour after the heav- 
ing commenced, we were again afloat, and though 
night had already set in, yet before the dawn of 
the following morning, every thing was replaced 
except our water. On reaching the sea it was, 
however, soon discovered that the vessel's bottom 



Five Years Before the Mast. 187 

had been injured, as from one of the swiftest sail- 
ers in the navy, she had become as slow and cum- 
bersome as a Dutch galiot. 

As the foregoing accident had left us but a 
scanty supply of water on board, the captain 
shaped his course for Pictou, at which place we 
arrived after a voyage of a few days, and immedi- 
ately commenced taking in our water. This duty 
was allotted to the first cutter, which was placed in 
charge of two midshipmen. The water was ob- 
tained about a mile from the ship, and had to be 
carried in buckets from the fountain to the boat, a 
distance of some ten rods. One of the midship- 
men usually stationed himself at the boat, while 
the other attended the operations of the men at 
the fountain. 

Now it so happened that three of these men 
from the Brazilian squadron, who had been so 
egregiously humbugged by Commodore Nicholson, 
took it into their heads to run away, and fixed upon 
a plan among the boat's crew to accomplish their 
enterprise. It was resolved that, on approaching 
the shore, the three malcontents should pull the 
bo,w oars, and before the boat touched the beach, 
they were to jump from their seats into the water, 
and run for the woods, while the rest of the men 
were to interlock their oars to prevent the boat 
from landing. Should either of the midshipmen 
attempt to follow, then were one half the remaining 
portion of the crew to spring from the boat, and 



188 Five Years Before the Mast. 

run rapidly in an opposite direction, and in case 
both followed, then were all the men to scamper in 
different directions, in order to confuse them in 
such a manner that they would be at fault what to 
do, or whom to follow. 

On the morning after the scheme was concocted, 
the first cutter proceeded on shore, and it is per- 
haps needless to say that the project was immedi- 
ately put in execution. The men took to their 
heels with a speed that set at defiance the legs of 
both the middies, who started in pursuit of them. 
As soon as the boat was landed, three of the other 
men, who desired to favor the escape of their 
companions, commenced a ruse down the beach. 
One of the midshipmen, on looking back and per- 
ceiving this movement, conceived that the whole 
,boat's crew were about fleeing, and setting up a 
howl, and flourishing his sword, he returned hastily, 
shouting at the top of his voice for the remaining 
men to get into the boat ; but without paying any 
regard to his orders, they proceeded quietly to 
filling the casks. Vexed and mortified at the idea 
of his command being dishonored by desertion, the 
worthy young gentleman seated himself on the gun- 
wale of the boat and gave vent to his feelings in a 
copious flood of tears. In a quarter of an hour 
the men who had departed down the beach re- 
turned, and soon afterwards we were greeted with 
the re-appearance of the midshipman who had given 
chase to the deserters. On our return to the ship 



Five Years Before the Mast. 189 

the circumstance was reported to the captain, who 
offered a reward for the apprehension of the desert- 
ers, but up to the time of our departure from the 
port we heard nothing respecting them. 

After a few weeks further cruising in the vicinity 
of Cape Breton, Halifax, and the Bay of Fundy, 
the captain conceiving his mission to have been 
accomplished, proceeded to Portland harbor, where 
we arrived early in October, and where we lay a 
few weeks awaiting further orders from govern- 
ment. During this period some notable occurren- 
ces took place on board the ship, respecting that 
portion of the crew which had formerly been 
under the command of Commodore Nicholson. 
The captain, at the commencement of the cruise, 
having been made acquainted with the treatment 
we had received from our former commander, 
promised to aid some of the men in procuring 
their discharges ; upon which a few of the petty 
officers procured letters to be written to the Sec- 
retary of the Navy, and transmitted them to the 
cabin for him to approve and forward. Three 
months had now elapsed since these letters had 
been prepared, and yet, it was discovered, through 
the agency of the steward, that they had never 
been sent to Washington. Five more letters were 
immediately presented by the same applicants, 
but the captain rejected them peremptorily, with 
the declaration that he would not approve a letter 
for the discharge of any man in the ship. This 



190 Five Years Before the Mast. 

declaration produced quite an excitement among 
those from the Brazilian squadron, who composed 
by far, the larger and abler part of the ship's 
company. Murmurs broke forth on all sides, and 
were not even suppressed in the presence of the 
officers. Our vexation and discontent were still 
further augmented by the reception of a letter 
from the Secretary of the Navy, in reference to 
the case of one of our shipmates. A seaman of 
the crew, named Robert Long, had made an appli- 
cation for his discharge through the agency of his 
brother, a respectable citizen near Portsmouth. 
The Secretary of the Navy, however, declined 
discharging Robert, and as a reason for doing so, 
quoted Commodore Nicholson's dispatch from New 
York, wherein it was stated that all those men who 
had been transferred from the Brazilian squadron 
to the North Carolina, had shipped "unqualifiedly" 
for general service. This letter having been con- 
veyed to the Preble by the correspondent, fell into 
the hands of Robert and the rest of us, who had 
now incontestable evidence that Commodore Nich- 
olson had told us a wilful and black-hearted lie. 
He had advised me not to join the Marion at Rio, 
if I wished my discharge. He also asserted to us 
collectively, in his quarter-deck speech, at Brook- 
lyn navy yard, that he was using his utmost exer- 
tions to procure our discharge; that he, in con- 
junction with Commodore Renshaw, had written 
to Washington for that purpose ; and that Captain 



Five Years Before the Mast. 191 

Gallagher was also adding his influence in our 
behalf; all of which assertions were corroborated 
and sustained by Mr. John Pope, who added his 
assurance of the verity of these statements, and 
even told us that he had witnessed the letters 
alluded to. Now let the reader see how the decla- 
rations of these officers were sustained by facts. 
Five days after they were made, a gang of men, 
who were sent on board the sloop Fairfield for the 
purpose of clearing up her decks and rigging her, 
piqked up from among the loose papers scattered 
over her cabin floor, the following significant note : 

" Com. Renshaw's compliments to 

" Captain Boerman : 
Sir : — You will please send me a list of all the 
men's names who have over six months to serve, 
that they may be retained to general service. 

" Respectfully, 

" Renshaw. 
"Brooklyn Navy Yard, April 4tth, 1840. " 

There it is — the note explains itself. Such an 
one had, doubtless, been sent to Commodore Nich- 
olson, who was Renshaw's inferior in rank, and 
who must thus have known that we were to be 
retained before he made his speech, but who, nev- 
ertheless, told us that he was doing all he could 
to have us discharged, while at the same time 
he was writing all he could to the department 



192 Five Years Before the Mast. 

to prevent it; and, moreover, he persuaded us 
that Commodore Renshaw was adding his efforts 
in our favor at the very moment when he was 
sending abroad his orders commanding our de- 
tention. Could it be possible for men, suscep- 
tible of passions and feelings, to remain content 
under the consciousness of such treatment? I 
think not. Its grossness would have kindled up 
the resentment of men accustomed to the most 
abject servility. As already stated, the men began 
to murmur, and the gloomy scowl that gathered on 
the countenances of many, together with the reluc- 
tant and sullen manner in which they obeyed the 
orders of the officers, made it evident that things 
were assuming a somewhat serious shape. At this 
stage of our troubles a plan suggested itself to me 
by which I thought the spirit of mutiny which was 
apparently laboring with the crew, might for a 
while be smothered. This was nothing else than 
to write a joint letter to the Secretary of the Navy 
and send it to the department without the know- 
ledge of the captain. In pursuance of this project 
a meeting was called on the berth deck, at which 
all hands expressed their approbation of the plan, 
and unanimously appointed me as the person to 
carry it into effect. I immediately proceeded to 
the task, and two hours afterwards, re-assembling 
the men under the top gallant forecastle, read to 
them the following letter : 



Five Years Before the Mast. 193 

U. S. Ship Preble, 
Portland Harbor, October 21st, 1840. 
To the Hon. J. K. Paulding, Sec. U. S. Navy : 

Sir : — We, who were in April last, transferred 
from the United States ships Independence and 
Fairfield, to the United State's ship Preble, are 
well aware that the regulations of the service 
demand that all persons wishing their discharge 
from the service shall address themselves to the 
department, by letter, through the approval of the 
commanders on board whose vessels the applicants 
may chance to be shipped ; but as we consider our 
case a peculiar one, and as we are well convinced 
that the circumstances attending our enlistment 
have never been fully laid before the department, 
we have in the present instances, deviated from a 
strict adherence to the established rule, for the 
purpose of explaining our real condition, and of 
exculpating ourselves from a charge of falsehood 
which has recently been alleged against us. 

Commodore J. B. Nicholson, if we understand 
it rightly, has inadvertently stated that " all those 
men who entered his squadron under promise of a 
discharge, were so disposed of." We say he has 
inadvertently stated this, because we would not 
willingly believe a man of his respectability and 
standing in society, capable of asserting a wilful 
falsehood, for falsehood there must be somewhere, 
either in the report of Commodore J. B. Nicholson, 
17 



194 Five Years Before the Mast, 

or in the numberless letters with which the Depart- 
ment has been troubled during the last six months. 
How the commodore's statement can be reconciled 
with the principles of truth and honor, may seem 
somewhat difficult, if we examine a little into the 
real nature of our enlistment. 

Being all strangers in a foreign land, we desired 
to return to our own country, and became applicants 
to the respective commanders in the squadron for 
permission to join their vessels until their return 
to the United States. They told us it was out of 
their power to enter any man for a shorter period 
than three years. But finding that we would 
rather undergo the dangers that beset us in a for- 
eign land, than voluntarily subscribe our names to 
a three years' enlistment, they saw fit to compro- 
mise the matter by asserting that it was customary 
to discharge all seamen shipping in naval vessels 
on foreign stations, and that if we would subscribe 
our names to the articles, they would insure us on 
their word and honor, as officers and gentlemen, 
that every man of us should receive his discharge 
on the return of the vessel to the United States. 
These, sir, are the real circumstances attending 
our entrance into that squadron. Most of us had 
never been in the service before, and were conse- 
quently unacquainted with its regulations ; we 
trusted with confidence in the promises of Com- 
modore Nicholson and his commanders, and sub- 
scribed our names to the articles, returned to 



Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 195 

America, and were deceived". Now, sir, is this 
treatment just, or is it honorable ? We were led 
by the promises of these men, to believe that the 
power of discharging us rested with them. If it 
did not, they must have known it, and should not 
have made them ; if it did, it was a serious wrong 
to violate their word for the mere purpose of de- 
ceiving us. 

On our arrival at New York, last April, and 
after the majority of the ship's company was dis- 
charged, Commodore Nicholson declared to us that 
he was perfectly aware of the promises he had 
made us, but that it was the desire of your hon- 
orable self to have us detained. He also stated 
that he, in conjunction with Commodore Renshaw, 
had written to the Department, earnestly pressing 
our discharges, and that he would know what course 
to pursue in respect to us, as soon as he received 
an answer from Washington. We have since dis- 
covered that this was but another deceptive meas- 
ure which he made use of under conviction of 
his promises, to keep us from murmuring until such 
time as another vessel should be prepared for our 
reception. 

Since the foregoing events, we have been on the 
coast of Labrador; we have underwent the two 
extremes of heat and cold ; we have been trans- 
ferred from the warm climates of the sunny south 
to the icy regions of the north, and we now wish 
our discharges, that we may return to our respec- 



196 Five Years Beeore the Mast. 

tive homes, for some of us have been absent many 
years. Yet how are we to procure them ? If we 
address ourselves to the Department, our letters 
pass unnoticed, because they do not come properly 
attested ; if we apply to our former commanders, 
our complaints are rejected as falsehoods ; and if 
we send a letter to our captain, for his approval, it 
is treated as false, or suffered to lie in the cabin 
neglected, and never reaches its place of destina- 
tion. This, sir, -is our real condition, and this it is 
which has led us to the adoption of the present 
method of laying it before the Department; we 
know that the grand power of discharging us is 
invested there, and it now rests entirely with the 
Hon. Secretary, whether the earnest prayers and 
solicitations of our friends, relatives, sisters, broth- 
ers, and parents, shall be gratified or not. 
Your humble servants, very respectfully, 

"One and All.'' 

The foregoing letter was approved by every man 
in the ship who had belonged to the Brazilian 
squadron. There was not a single statement in it 
but could have been sustained by the testimony of 
every man present at the reading. It was imme- 
diately dispatched to the post-office, while the men, 
who had now some faint prospect of learning to a 
certainty their ultimate fate, calmly submitted 
themeslves to the result. 



Cfj^pfei* JEiebetyfij. 



A very short Chapter, in which the Jour's diplomacy begins to 
■ thicken. • 

On a pleasant Sunday morning, ten days after 
the dispatch of our letter, a packet of papers was 
brought on board the ship from the Portland post- 
office. As it was about the time for an answer to 
our communication, all hands were on tip-toe of 
expectation for some extraordinary intelligence. 
Before the boatswain had piped to breakfast, the 
captain sent the steward to request my 'pres- 
ence in the cabin, A dozen men immediately 
pressed around me, all of whom felt that the 
crisis had now arrived, and began to express regret 
at having, as they supposed, brought me into a 
difficulty which might draw upon me the vengeance 
of the captain. But vengeance or no vengeance, 
it was now too late for repentance. Without wast- 
ing time in useless regrets, I assumed a bold face, 
and marched directly into the cabin. The captain 
and first lieutenant were seated at a table, which 
was covered with letters and papers. Both shoved 
back their chairs at my appearance, and the cap- 
tain, addressing himself to me, asked me if I were 
not a little erratic in my disposition. 

17 * (197) 



198 Five Years Before the Mast* 

" Not more so than most people, I believe," re- 
plied I, with a reverential bow. 

"Are you the writer of that letter?" said he, 
handing me the identical letter which I had sent 
to Washington. 

"I am," answered I, after glancing at the sig- 
nature. 

" Are you ready to endorse every charge con- 
tained in that letter ?" continued he in a severe tone. 

"Perhaps not every charge, Captain Breese," 
said I, not wishing to assume too great a responsi- 
bility. "Individually,! might be unable to sus- 
tain all ; but, sir, you should recollect that this let- 
ter is the joint production of some seventy men, all 
of whom, if examined, will doubtless sustain every 
assertion contained in it." 

"You are the author of it — the wording and 
assertions are yours, and if they are abusive, I hold 
you responsible for the consequences. I know that 
whatever you would write they would approve. 
Their illiterate minds would lead them to applaud 
your letter, although they could not comprehend it. 
Here are assertions that are absolutely false, and I 
ask you on what foundations you dared construct 
them?" 

"Which are the objectionable passages?" in- 
quired I. 

"You have asserted, when speaking of this ship, 
that your captain treated your complaints as false- 
hoods, and ' suffered your letters to lie in the cabin 



Five Years Before the Mast. 199 

neglected, by which means they were never per- 
mitted to reach their place of destination.' Is it 
not so ?" added he severely, pointing his finger to 
the disagreeable passage. 

"It is so written/' answered I, with some trepi- 
dation. 

"So written!" exclaimed he, contemptuously; 
"but is it truly written ? It is an easy task for 
men to write falsehoods when alone and in secret, 
but not so easy to maintain them openly. How 
dared you assert so bold a falsehood, and that too 
to the Secretary of the Navy ?" 

"Sir," replied I, a little nettled at the captain's 
cavalier-like manner of calling me a liar ; " were it 
not that the delicacy of my situation here precludes 
me from adverting to the acts of either yourself or 
any other officer, I could say something in defence 
of these charges. '.' 

"If you have anything to offer in justification of 
your conduct, speak it boldly out," said the first 
lieutenant. 

"Yes, speak out freely," added the captain. 
" We desire no undue advantage from difference of 
situation." 

Encouraged by these words, I ventured to ask 
the captain whether he had not repeatedly told the 
men, that he could scarcely believe Commodore 
Nicholson guilty of having practised the deception 
which they alleged he had ; and whether he had not 
permitted those letters to lie upwards of three 



200 Five Years Before the Mast. 

months in the cabin, while the men who had writ- 
ten them, supposed them at Washington, and were 
living the whole time in hourly expectation of being 
discharged ; and also, whether he had not rejected 
letters from the master-at-arms, and the captain of 
the maintop. "If these things are not so," added 
I, "the men are in the ship, and can answer for 
themselves." 

The captain, pausing for a while, seemed at a 
loss what to answer, while the first lieutenant, per- 
ceiving his confusion, sought to extricate him from 
his dilemma. 

" But did Captain Breese ever reject a letter of 
yours ?" said he. 

" He never did, for I never brought him one. I 
knew if I did, he would reject it." 

"How did you know I would reject it?" asked 
the captain. 

"From your own words," replied I. 

"What words?" inquired the first lieutenant. 

" Why he stated to three of the petty officers, 
that it was useless for them to present letters for 
their discharge, as he was resolved not to approve 
a letter for the discharge of any man in the ship ; 
and surely this declaration included me with the 
rest of the crew. It was this declaration, sir, 
which made us resort to the joint letter." 

"Why did you not bring your joint letter to me 
for approval ?" said the captain, dropping a little 
of his severity. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 201 

" Because, you had already declared you would 
not approve any." 

" That declaration had reference to letters of 
individuals, but not to a joint letter, like this. I 
should readily have placed my signature, excepting 
those objectionable sentences already noticed." 

" That, sir, we could not know," answered I. 

"Well," said the captain, "the whole thing 
amounts to this." The secretary of the Navy has 
read your letter, and returned it to me for informa- 
tion. I shall assemble all of you at muster, and 
ascertain how many of the crew have heard this 
letter read, and what degree of confidence is to be 
attached to your statement. If I find that you 
have been skulking the matter, or that any one indi- 
vidual has been left in ignorance of the. proceedings, 
I shall inform the Hon. Secretary of it, and make 
your back pay the penalty." 

" I am content as to the result, Captain Breese," 
replied I, moving towards the door. " What has 
been preferred against Commodore Nicholson, I am 
well assured will be maintained to the letter by 
every man in the ship who came from his squadron ; 
and as to what has been written in reference to 
yourself, your own convictions will tell you how 
far the language is consistent with the truth, and 
you can write to the secretary accordingly," and 
bowing respectfully, I hastened to the berth deck, 
where breakfast was awaiting me, and where I was 
instantly surrounded by an hundred shipmates, 



202 Five Years Before the Mast. 

eager to learn the result of my interview with the 
captain. 

Breakfast over, and the ship put in order for the 
day, all hands began to prepare for muster. The 
captain, in the meantime, had some conversation 
with an old quarter master named Samuel Haman, 
who, though one of our party, denied having any 
knowledge of our communication. This was imme- 
diately communicated to me, and though I knew 
the man to be guilty of falsehood, I was uncertain 
what effect it might have on the captain. At nine 
o'clock all who had formerly belonged to the Bra- 
zilian squadron, were called to muster on the lar- 
board side of the quarter deck. We were not long 
in presenting ourselves aft, as all were eager to 
know what action was going to be taken with us. 
The officers assembled round the capstan, while the 
captain appeared from the cabin with the letter 
open in his hand. Haman, whom we now all re- 
garded as a traitor, took his stand at the head of 
the company nearest the officers. When the pur- 
ser's clerk had finished calling the roll, I was or- 
dered from the ranks to the opposite side of the 
quarter-deck. The captain, then holding the letter 
out in his hand that all might see it, addressed him- 
self to the company. 

"The Secretary of the Navy," said he, "has 
received a letter written by your shipmate there on 
the opposite side of the deck ; was it with your 



Five Years Before the Mast. 203 

full knowledge, and at your request, that that 
letter was written and sent?" 

" It was," responded every man in the company, 
except Haman. 

" Did you all hear the letter read ?" proceeded 
the captain. 

"We did," was again the general response. 

" Does this resemble the letter which was read 
to you T 

« It does." 

" And do you all sustain the charges made in it 
against the conduct of Commodore Nicholson ?" 

"We do." 

" Haman," said the captain, turning towards the 
quarter-master, whose looks betrayed a mixture of 
timidity and shame, " how comes it that your com- 
rades, who appear so strenuous in this matter, 
should have neglected to make you a confidant ?" 

Haman was silent and confused, but the cap- 
tain's question was answered by another of the 
petty officers, who, stepping from the crowd, said 
that Haman was aware of the whole proceedings ; 
that when the letter was first suggested he had 
talked about it with Haman, who approved the 
plan, and who stood close at his elbow when the 
letter was read under the top-gallant forecastle. 
Haman made no attempt to contradict the state- 
ment, and the withering looks of contempt which 
the officers cast upon him, overwhelmed him with 
such confusion that he sought to hide his shame by 



204 Five Years Before the Mast. 

dodging behind the persons of his shipmates. The 
captain appeared satisfied with the answers of the 
men 5 and after a few brief words, in an undertone, 
to the first lieutenant, ordered them to be dis- 
missed. 

Having received orders, in our dispatches from 
Washington, to repair to winter quarters at Charles- 
town navy yard, the captain gave orders for getting 
under weigh from Portland the day following the 
preceding occurrence. After a rapid run of some 
sixteen hours, with a north-easterly wind, we cast 
anchor in Boston bay on the evening of the fourth 
of November. As the ship was supposed to have 
sustained some considerable damage about her 
bottom, while on the rocks near Belle Isle, prepa- 
rations were made for placing her in dry dock at 
the earliest practicable opportunity. Ten days 
were, however, consumed before this could be ac- 
complished. On examination of her bottom, it 
was found that about twelve feet of her false keel 
had been torn away, as well as slight portions of 
her copper; and some two weeks were consumed 
in repairing her injuries before she was again ready 
for sea. 

The reader must not suppose, however, that the 
feelings of the crew during this period of time, were 
of the most amiable character. After a lapse of 
ten days from our departure from Portland, a final 
answer in respect to our joint letter was antici- 
pated, but much to our mortification and disap- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 205 

pointment no such answer arrived. The crew, 
infatuated with the belief that the captain had 
received a letter from government, but declined 
making its contents known to them, became uneasy 
and clamorous, and even talked of refusing duty. 
The captain, meanwhile, used all reasonable means 
to enforce obedience, and to a slight extent suc- 
ceeded ; but still it was plain to him, as well as to 
most others, that subordination had in a great 
measure departed from the ship. Under these 
circumstances, and perhaps not wishing to use 
coercive measures, he deemed it advisable to trans- 
fer the crew to the Columbus, seventy-four, then 
lying in the same harbor. The idea of going on 
board another ship, was particularly obnoxious to 
the men, as such an event appeared again to cut 
short the prospect of obtaining their discharge. 
Some openly objected to going, but the captain 
was decisive, and ordered them to prepare for 
immediate departure. This was bringing things to 
a sudden crisis. The men, hesitating no longer 
from expressing their disapprobation, broke forth 
into murmurs in all parts of the ship, and not a few 
even made opsn threats of violence in the presence 
of officers. Seeing a crowd gathered on the fore- 
castle, I walked forward to see what it portended, 
when three of the petty officers grasped me by the 
hand and shoulders, and presenting a cutlass, told 
me to lead the way, sword in hand, over the gang- 



18 



206 Five Years Before the Mast. 

way, and they would all follow to a man. For a 
moment I was completely astounded 

" Can it be possible that you are in earnest ?" 
exclaimed I, looking round on the party, whose 
calm determination and resolute looks indicated 
too plainly that they w T ere brooding on some des- 
perate project. 

"Men, men," added I, "what in the name of 
God would you do ?" 

"We want our liberty," said they; "and we 
are determined to have it. We have tried all 
peaceable ways without success, and now we will 
try another plan." 

" Yes," answered I ; " and how will it end ? In 
chains and shackles, and finally at the yard-arm 
for mutiny. See, here lies the Columbus, yonder 
is the Constellation, and there is the navy yard, 
containing the quarters of some fifty marines, all 
well armed and equipped. Try your plan, and 
how soon can five hundred men be dispatched fo 
suppress and disarm you? What then will you 
have gained ? or who will then intercede with the 
government in your behalf ? Not Captain Breese 
nor Commodore Downes. No, not even myself. 
So long as you are for pacific measures, I am hand 
and hand with you, but to the devil with your cut- 
lasses and boarding pikes. If you are bound to 
run your necks into a halter, with such instruments, 
you must go it lone-handed, for I am determined 
not to accompany you." 



Five Years Before the Mast. 207 

In short, by briefly detailing to them the con- 
sequences of mutiny, and pointing out the utter fool- 
hardiness of their rash designs, I soon succeeded in 
restoring their minds to a sense of reason. I then 
told them that I, for one, had made up my mind 
to go on board the Columbus ; that the prospect 
of being discharged looked as favorable there as on 
board the Preble ; that an order for our discharge 
must necessarily be transmitted to Commodore 
Downes, as he was the oldest commandant about 
the place ; and hence it mattered not to me what 
vessel I was placed in, so that I remained within 
his command. 

This kind of argument had a favorable effect on 
those with whom I conversed, who at once became 
reconciled to the transfer. Others, as the sugges- 
tions were communicated to them, began to change 
their views so hastily, that in a few hours the whole 
company appeared as eager to go on board the Co- 
lumbus, as they had previously been reluctant to 
do so. 



6fj3pfei* Itoeififf. 



In which the adventurer becomes a heathen, and after being visited 
in vain by a Boston missionary, is introduced to the cat-o'-nine- 
tails. 

The reader will by this time perceive, that though 
I had shipped in the Independence with the sole 
object of proceeding home, I had now undergone 
my third transfer since my entrance into that ship ; 
and what likelihood there yet remained of obtain- 
ing my discharge, will be left for the sequel alone 
to disclose. Yet I cannot say that I was really 
unhappy in the service. I possessed the friendship 
and esteem of nearly all my shipmates, and if my 
conduct had not been exactly such as to square with 
the wishes of the officers, it had, at least, been 
marked with a sufficient manliness to command their 
respect ; nor need I add, that I felt a secret pride 
in having been able, in my humble situation, to 
inflict a just wound on the pride and dignity of a 
few, who thought their elevation so great as to en- 
able them to press down the poor worm with impu- 
nity. I well knew, that though Commodore Nich- 
olson, Captain Breese, and Lieutenant Pope, might 
hate the letter which I had written, yet it was, in 
the main, the whole truth and nothing but the 
( 208 ) 



Five Years Before the Mast. 209 

truth, and placed them in a position from which it 
was a little difficult to make a very honorable re- 
treat. This, to me, was a triumph which fully com- 
pensated for the disappointments and mortifications 
they had caused me to suffer. I knew not, nor 
cared not, what might be the final result ; I felt con- 
scious of having them in a fix, and that fact alone, 
furnished an ample supply of food to sustain my 
mind under all my present difficulties. 

The Columbus was a school and receiving ship, 
under the command of Captain Smith, which bore at 
its mast head the broad pennant of Commodore 
Downes. About four hundred men, and some two 
hundred apprentice boys composed her crew. The 
Preble's men numbered near an hundred and fifty, 
which was something of an addition to the company 
on board ; but they were kept in separate messes, 
and were retained under the command of their 
respective officers. * They were also mustered apart 
from the crew of the Columbus, and required to 
repair to daily labor on board the Preble. Besides 
this working party, there was also a gang selected 
daily from the crew of the Columbus, which was 
sent on shore to work in the Navy Yard ; and by 
some unaccountable means, my name had been 
inserted by the clerk, on the list of this gang. The 
workmen belonging to the Columbus were usually 
called away near half an hour before those of tne 
Preble ; and one morning while I was changing my 

clothes, the boatswain of the Columbus, whose name 
18* 



210 Five Years Before the Mast, 

was Edgar, came running down on the orlop deck, 
shouting my name. 

" Hillo !" cried I, " what's wanted ?" 

Without deigning to make any answer, Edgar 
rushed up to me, and commenced pounding at me 
with a rattan. 

" Not so fast, Mr. Edgar ; you may have got hold 
of the wrong man," said I, endeavoring to wrench 
the ratan from his grasp. 

" You rascal I" cried he, foaming with rage. 
" You are always hanging back when there is any 
work to be done." 

" All a mistake, sir," replied I, holding on to 
the ratan ; " don't you know that I belong to the 
Preble ?" 

"You're a liar!" 

" You're a gentleman, almost ! 

" Go on deck, d — n your eyes ! and none of your 
insolence!" 

" Ay, ay, sir !" exclaimed I, darting away on 
deck, followed close at my heels by the little boat- 
swain, who reported me to the officers of the deck. 
As I was mounting the gangway, the worthy lieu- 
tenant called me back, and demanded of me how I 
dared to disobey the orders of a superior officer. I 
endeavored to explain by telling him that I be- 
longed to the Preble's crew. 

"He don't," interrupted the boatswain; "you 
see, sir, a good many men have got in the habit of 



Five Years Before the Mast. 211 

hailing from the Preble, since her crew is aboard 
here, and by that means skulk clear of duty." 

"Is the man one of that kind?" inquired the 
officer of the deck. 

" He is," answered the boatswain. 

"A lazy rascal, no doubt — his countenance 
betrays it ; but the cats will bring him to his duty. 
What have you to say for yourself ?" added he of 
the epaulets, turning towards me. 

" Nothing, sir," replied I. "1. perceive Mr. 
Edgar is determined to have it all his own 
way." 

46 Insolent!" exclaimed the officer of the deck. 
" Insolence to a superior officer, and right in 
my presence too ! Call the master-at-arms, Mr. 
Edgar. Ho ! master-at-arms," shouted he, seeing 
that officer walking in the gangway. " Here, 
master-at-arms, take this man forward and put 
him in double irons." 

The master-at-arms gallanted me forward to the 
forecastle, where my wrists and ancles were en- 
cased in such weighty jewels as few delight to wear; 
and placing me under the care of the sentry, left 
me to my own reflections in durance vile. 

There are but few unpleasant sensations con- 
nected with the idea of irons on board a man-of- 
war. There is scarcely a day passes but dozens 
are laid by the heels in them for crimes of the 
most trivial nature, and many even wear them 
day after day, for no offence whatever. Hence, 



212 Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 

my confinement was not stamped with any indelible 
stain of disgrace in the estimation of naval men ; 
and as to a further punishment, I deemed it out of 
the question, for I knew that my presence must nec- 
essarily be missed from the Preble, and that the 
approach of evening would bring with it an order 
for my release. So procuring myself a book from 
one of my shipmates, I stretched myself on the 
deck to indulge in its contents, my shoulders rest- 
ing against a shot box, and my legs thrown care- 
lessly over the chain "cable. 

As the day advanced, the ship was honored with 
visitors from the shore, and I observed among a 
group of ladies, a quite pretty young woman busy- 
ing herself in distributing tracts and other religious 
publications, among those of the sailors with whom 
she accidentally came in contact. As she advanced 
towards the forward part of the ship, gazing right 
and left at the wonders with which she was sur- 
rounded, her eyes finally rested on me, and halting 
suddenly with a start, she paused as if doubting 
whether there might not be danger in a nearer 
approach. I pretended to keep my eyes fixed on 
the book, but was in reality watching her move- 
ments. Presently she turned to the officer who 
accompanied the party, and in an undertone asked 
for what heinous crime I was fastened to the chain 
cable. 

"I presume his offence is not a very serious 
one," said the officer, smiling very graciously. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 213 

" Discipline ' often imposes such punishment for 
very trifling crimes." 

" But I thought your discipline required whip- 
ping instead of chains ?" answered the lady, eyeing 
me with a side glance. 

" Irons are less barbarous than whipping," ob- 
served the officer ; " and for that reason are often 
employed as a substitute." 

"A more humane punishment, truly," sighed the 
lady, as if relieved from further fears of my fero- 
ciousness. " It is very considerate and Christian- 
like to be merciful, but don't you think that by 
religious training and moral efforts, sailors might 
be brought to be governed without any of those 
cruel modes of punishment?" 

"Perhaps so," observed he of the epaulets, 
smiling ; " but it will require a good schoolmaster 
to bring about so desirable an end." 

The officer turned away to answer the question 
of another of the ladies, when the little missionary 
begged to know if it would be violating the rules 
of the ship for her to speak to the prisoner. The 
officer gave a negative sign, upon which the lady, 
after pressing a tract upon the sentry, who was 
walking to and fro a few paces in front of me, 
approached to where I was lying. 

Now if there is any thing in this world irrita- 
ting to a sensitive mind, smarting under a con- 
sciousness of injustice and degradation, it is that of 
being talked to by persons wholly unacquainted 



214 Five YEiks Before the Mast. 

with his condition, thoughts, and feelings, and con- 
sequently incapable of affording him either sym- 
pathy or relief in his sufferings. This lady, as a 
matter of course, could comprehend nothing of the 
object of my imprisonment, nor knew she aught 
of the causes which had led to it ; and under this 
conviction I was conscious that she would only 
prove a Job's comforter at best. My fancy was, 
moreover, at that very time, haunted by the rum- 
colored visage of the little boatswain, whom in 
imagination, I was knocking into a perfect jelly, 
and battering down his fiery nose to a level with 
his upper lip. These passionate reflections had 
rendered me about as fit an object for the opera- 
tions of a lady missionary as the most obdurate 
heathen. She, however, advanced near to me. 
Without looking off my book, I awaited her com- 
mands. 

" Sir/' began she. 

" We don't sir any body in this ship but offi- 
cers," interrupted I, without looking up. 

" You must excuse me then, as I am unac- 
quainted with your rules," said she, with some 
trepidation. " You appear to find a pleasure in 
reading books, and indeed I am sure that good 
books must afford you many edifying reflections in 
your unpleasant situation. May I know what book 
you are reading?" 

" It's a novel," observed I. 

" A novel !" echoed the fair missionary, with a 



Five Years Before the Mast. 215 

look of disappointment. " And do you suppose 
there is much instruction to be obtained from the 
reading of novels ?" added she, tapping a volume 
of religious tracts across her fingers. 

" I obtain amusement from them, and that is all 
I care about,' ' replied I. 

" Indeed. But you are conscious of having a 
soul ; do you care nothing for the welfare of your 
immortal soul ?" 

"No, for I fear it has been damned long ago," 
said I, drawing my feet off the cable, with a clank 
of the irons that made the young lady recoil. 

"You astonish me!" exclaimed she, trying to 
look as amazed as possible. " Surely you do not 
mean " 

" I do mean just what I say, madam, and noth- 
ing else. I am cursed daily, up and down, alow 
and aloft, from larboard to starboard and back 
again. I've been cursed half a dozen times since 
eight bells this morning ; and three hours ago was 
cursed by that gentleman walking yonder with the 
ladies, and at his orders placed in these irons. 
Could damning have sent me to the devil, it would 
have been all up with me long ago, and I really 
question whether my situation there would be much 
more intolerable than it is in this ship." 

" Oh ! how sorry I am to hear you talk so," 
ejaculated my lady visitor, pressing the religious 
volume between both her hands. " Forget and 
forgive the wicked ways of the world, and turn 



216 Five Years Before the Mast. 

your thoughts towards heaven and your Saviour — 
there you will find happiness and peace. The 
abuse and wicked language of the ungodly will 
then lose their effect upon you, and you will gra- 
dually become a better and a happier man. Per- 
mit me to give you this tract — it is the story of the 
conversion of an humble sailor like yourself. It 
m y perhaps arouse you to a sense of your dying 
condition, and point you the way to salvation/ ' 

"I do not desire it," said I, resuming my novel. 

"Let me insist on your taking it," continued the 
lady, with a perseverance that provoked me. 

a I will not have it," reiterated I, striking my 
shackled feet vehemently on the deck. " Give it 
to the officers, they need it a great sight worse than 
I do." 

" Oh ! mercy, mercy ! did I ever hear such pro- 
fanity!" cried the little missionary, holding up 
both hands in astonishment. 

" If you call that profanity, what term would 
you apply to the language of most of our lieute- 
nants when getting a ship under weigh, or tacking 
and veering in a head wind. Their oaths are ren 
dered doubly horrible by being ejected through a 
speaking trumpet in such unearthly tones as ter- 
rify both God and man. If you were once to hear 
them, madam, your hair would rise on end, and you 
would dread that both yourself and the vessel would 
be sent to the bottom of the ocean as a just punish- 
ment for such presumption. Profanity ! why like 



Five Years Before the Mast. 217 

everything else, it is a science, and they alone are 
proficient in it." 

" Indeed, you terrify me. I will talk with you 
no longer. I can scarce credit your account of 
the officers ; I have seen many of them, and they 
have always appeared to me as being very polite 
and agreeable." 

"No doubt they appear so, madam, and if you 
were to encounter Satan himself, you would most 
likely meet him with a smile on his face and an 
epaulet on his shoulder." 

My lady visiter had scarcely rejoined her com- 
panions when a bustle on the forward part of the 
upper gun-deck, announced the master-at-arms with 
another prisoner, in whom I recognized Walter 
Summers, one of the men who had deserted from 
the first cutter of the Preble, at Pictou. Poor 
Walter had been apprehended at Portsmouth, by 
some one of the outrunners of the Columbus, and 
was brought to Charleston by the kidnapper with 
the hope of obtaining the reward. He was imme- 
diately placed in double irons, and like me, left 
under the surveillance of the sentry. There was 
some consolation in having company in my impri- 
sonment, and a good deal more in the thought that 
mine was a far less aggravated case than his. As 
night approached, we were greeted with the appear- 
ance of two more offenders, one for theft, and the 
other for drunkenness ; and our party now num- 
bering four persons, Summers and I thought of 
19 



218 Five Years Before the Mast. 

having a jolly night of it ; but one being too sullen 
to talk, and the other too drunk to say anything, W8 
were obliged to limit our fun to ourselves. 

I had supposed, that at the assembling of the 
Preble's crew for evening muster, my absence would 
be discovered, and inquiries started, leading to my 
release ; but by some unaccountable oversight, my 
absence escaped the notice of the officers at muster, 
and I was, in consequence, left in confinement. 
Nor did the following morning bring with it any 
relief. The hour of nine arrived, when the Pre- 
ble's crew again departed to their labors at the dry- 
dock, without making the least inquiries concerning 
me, and I began to grow suspicious of having been 
transferred, in a clandestine manner, to the com- 
mand of the officers of the Columbus. 

At ten o'clock the captain, accompanied by the 
surgeon, appeared on the gun-deck, taking his 
inspectional round ; and observing at a side glance 
us four prisoners, properly equipped and jewelled 
for an introduction to that figurative animal, the 
boatswain's cat, was far too gallant both in taste 
and inclination to suffer our disappointment in so 
gratifying an event. To render the ceremony as 
imposing as possible, he moved with a dignified 
step towards the mainmast, and encountering the 
boatswain in his way thither, spoke a few words 
with a significant nod to that little officer, who 
darted hastily away, first to larboard, and then to 
starboard, in search of his mates ; and kicking up 



Five Years Before the Mast. 219 

his heels, as if having got a very pleasant idea into 
them, pitched into the main-hatch, where in his 
eagerness, he twice bumped his head against the 
sheet-cable, and finally managed to disappear below. 
An instant afterwards the master-at-arms stood at 
the elbow of captain Smith, in hatless obsequiency, 
but to avoid the imputation of listening with disrepect 
to the orders of his commander, he, at each affirma- 
tive nod, kept pulling and twitching at a small 
tuft of hair which stuck out like a peg from his 
cranium, as if by continued perseverance he hoped 
to find a hat there. The words of the captain 
appeared to have a spirited effect on the hatless 
petty officer, for he began to dodge and fuss about 
as if some mission of vast importance had been 
committed to his charge. 

Now all the prisoners understood the movements 
of the captain, boatswain, and master-at-arms, as 
well as if they had heard every word that passed 
between them, for they had often before witnessed 
the same proceedings, and invariably found them 
followed by the cry of " All hands witness pun- 
ishment.' ' 

In a few minutes the shrill whistles of the boat- 
swain and his mates, were heard resounding through 
the ship, followed by the hoarse dull cry of words 
that more than a thousand times before had rever- 
berated along the decks, beams, and timbers of the 
old Columbus, carrying dismay and terror to the 
heart of many a poor culprit, whose only crime 



220 Five Years Before the Mast. 

had been spitting upon the elect, or by casual 
accident spilling a small bit of grease from his 
soup pan, while eating his scanty and scarcely 
palatable meal. But such was the penalty which 
discipline imposed, and we who were now in con- 
finement, were about to taste the reward of our 
iniquity. The men and boys soon gathered in 
crowds up the hatchways, and by degrees a small 
group of officers collected together in the vicinity 
of the capstan. The marines were also called up, 
and took their stations on the quarter-deck, the 
warlike appearance of their heavy arms rendered 
more imposing by charged bayonets. In the mean- 
time the master-at-arms hurried off to the store 
room, from whence he soon returned with a wrench 
and hammer, and hastily knocking off the irons 
from our hands and feet, led us aft to the main- 
mast. 

Summers being a deserter, the heinousness of his 
crime required a more severe and decisive chas- 
tisement than trivial offences, and hence he, as a 
matter of course, became number one in the order 
of the day. The captain, after questioning him 
in respect to the necessary particulars of his case, 
gave him his choice to take either such discretion- 
ary punishment as he would inflict on him, or sub- 
mit himself to the examination and sentence of a 
court martial. The young man chose the former 
alternative, rightly judging that no leniency was to 
be expected from the parade and award of a court 



Five Years Before the Mast. 221 

martial. He was then ordered to strip off his 
clothes, which he modestly and somewhat diffi- 
dently accomplished, after which he was given in 
custody of the quarter-masters, who with thongs in 
their hands, led him to the bulwarks, and tying 
him hand and foot, left him to the operation of the 
boatswain's mates, those sturdy executioners of 
republican laws. 

The day was cold and piercing; and the air, 
while it hardened the skin, at the same time ren- 
dered it more brittle and easier cut. It caused 
one's flesh to creep, and the blood to tingle in his 
veins, even to think of the cats ; and when they 
were elevated over the shoulder of poor Summers, 
I could scarcely repress a tear in commisseration 
of the torment he was about to suffer. Perhaps 
my own situation at that particular period may 
have rendered me more suspectible to compassion- 
ate feelings, or it may have been the patient and 
resigned demeanor of the young prisoner that 
affected me ; but no matter what it was. Every 
man-of-war sailor knows that a tear cannot arrest 
the arm of boatswain's-mate, or a beating heart 
save a man's back from an extensive thrashing. 
The blow descended, and the skin flew, while the 
excoriated marks of the cords that stretched from 
shoulder to shoulder, were immediately suffused 
with gore. The poor fellow braved it nobly, and 
with the exceptions of a gathering paleness on his 
cheek, and an unconquerable shiver that ran like a 
19* 



222 Five Years Before the Mast. 

fearful ague through his whole frame, stood as 
passive and immovable as a pillar of granite. No 
cry, no word, no sound escaped his lips; and as 
blow succeeded blow in lacerating his quivering 
flesh, he appeared to gather new firmness, and knit 
himself more resolutely to the brutal punishment. 
By the time three dozen lashes were administered? 
the blood had oozed its way down, filling the 
waistbands of the young man's trowsers, and a few 
drops trickling into the gangway at the feet of the 
boatswain's-mate, the captain, in consideration of 
the deck rather than of the mangled back of the 
sufferer, ordered the punishment to be stopped. 

Summers having been released, I was next called 
up. I made two attempts to justify my conduct, 
but was both times silenced by the captain. Seeing 
that I was in for an infamous punishment, which I 
knew I did not deserve, I proceeded rather reluc- 
tantly to undress myself. I must confess that the 
scene I had just beheld operated so strongly on 
my senses as to render me feeble and nervous. 
When naked, I looked appealingly around, with 
the hope of meeting the eye of some one who 
might be disposed to favor me with an interces- 
sion ; but all were apparently influenced with a 
desire of witnessing a repetition of the cruel scene. 
Turning towards the gangway, with feelings which 
it would be impossible for me to describe, I pre- 
sented my hand to the proper officers to be bound. 
The quarter-masters finished their task, and stepped 



Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 223 

aside. I looked over my left shoulder, and saw the 
boatswain hand his mate the eats ; they were those 
which on the previous evening had been soaked in 
salt water to whip the thief with. I turned my 
face away, and for a minute became unconscious 
of what was passing around me. I heard only a 
confused murmur, and a rushing sound, while a 
heavy blow descended on my back, suspending my 
breath, and penetrating every fibre of my body 
with a pain more excruciating than if molten metal 
had been poured upon me, seething and scorching 
my flesh to the very marrow. Could I at that 
instant have recovered my breath, I would perhaps 
have yelled out for mercy, but I was unable to do 
so. I braced myself for the second blow, but 
before it descended a voice from the quarter-deck 
called out "stop." It was Mr. "Newman, first 
lieutenant of the Preble. Having heard of my 
unjust incarceration on board the Columbus, he had 
come to procure my release. A few words of 
explanation from Mr. Newman gave a new turn to 
the proceedings. Captain Smith ordered me to be 
released at once, and hastily drawing on my clothes 
I made my way out of the ship as quickly as 
possible. 

During the third week of our residence on board 
the Columbus the sloop Preble was again committed 
to the waters of Massachusetts bay, and near the 
same time an order was received from government 
to equip her immediately for the Mediterranean sta- 



224 Five Years Before the Mast. 

tion. This arrangement made it necessary to man 
her with a new set of hands, as many members of 
the old company had but a few months longer to 
serve. A sufficient crew was soon collected to- 
gether from the receiving ship, while those men 
who were dismissed from the Preble, found them- 
selves consigned over in exchange, to the command 
of Captain Smith. It is scarcely necessary to add, 
that this arrangement brought myself, and all those 
interested in the joint letter to the Navy depart- 
ment, to a fixed and permanent residence on board 
the Columbus. 

While this final transfer was being completed, 
I fell into a misunderstanding with the purser in 
respect to grog-money. The government, with the 
praiseworthy design of encouraging temperance in 
the navy, authorized the payment of six cents per 
day to every seaman who would forego the luxury of 
his half pint of liquor ; while many men, with the 
equally laudable design of adding that much daily 
pay to their scanty wages, embraced the offer. 
By this happy concurrence of circumstances, the 
excellent design of each was properly accomplished^ 
and the sailor trebly remunerated, inasmuch as he 
became the gainer, not only pecuniarily, but also 
morally and physically. It was, however, made 
rulable in the service that the money should be 
paid quarterly to every anti-grog drinker. My- 
self, having been a total abstinent during the whole 
period of my service in the Preble, received regu- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 225 

larly my quarterly stipend of five dollars and forty- 
four cents; and I now supposed that when the 
Preble's books would be footed up, and the balance 
stricken, there would be some show of my last 
quarter's grog-money, which was near falling due, 
and which I desired to draw on board of the Co- 
lumbus. 

Had the purser credited me with four dollars 
and twenty cents, and charged the government, he 
would have but carried out the principle of the 
regulation, and I should not have been wronged 
out of a single cent ; but this he positively refused 
to do, and declared that there was no grog-money 
due me until the final expiration of the quarter. 
He, however, did not deem it an unworthy act to 
charge the government four dollars and twenty 
cents, although he placed nothing to my credit ; 
but for what purpose he did it I know not. All 
I can conscientiously say, is that between the public 
purse, the purser's purse, the purser, and the per- 
severance of the purser's steward, I was fleeced 
out of the sum of four dollars and twenty cents ; 
and what made the thing still more aggravating, 
was that they prohibited me from drawing my 
grog ration on board the Columbus until the ter- 
mination of the quarter, so that by the whole pro- 
cess of this act of peculation, I was actually 
defrauded of a full quarter's grog-money. It is, 
however, a very consoling reflection to know that, 
by this species of worldly prudence, purser Wilson 



226 Five Years Before the Mast. 

prospered so amazingly that in the course of a few 
years he became possessed of wealth to the amount 
of an hundred thousand dollars ; and that at his 
death he was enabled to secure the reputation of an 
honest man by granting munificent bequests to the 
support of institutions which, in the remotest 
degree, could never benefit one single individual of 
the hundreds of humble seamen from whose sweat 
and toil those sums of money were originally 
wrung. 

Note. — The barbarous system ot punishment by caW-nine-tails 
has recently been abolished in the navy. 



6^f)leir H|iHeex|fl|. 



In which the Jour. Shoemaker is promoted to the rank of Ship's 
Pedagogue. 

I have already hinted that the Columbus was a 
school-ship. That is, if a den where some two 
hundred boys are collected together, exposed to 
every kind of sinful vice — where swearing, gam- 
bling, cheating, lying, and stealing, are the con- 
tinual order of the day ; where drunkenness, obsce- 
nity, and self-pollution, stalk unrestrained ; and 
where crimes abound of even so deep and black a 
dye that it fires the cheek with shame to name 
them, and which yet escape the just punishment 
their heinousness deserves ; if, I say, such a place 
constitutes a school-ship, then was the Columbus, 
like the North Carolina, emphatically a school- 
ship. 

ye moralists ! talk not of the temptations of 
a city, the corrupting tendency of brothels, the 
demoralizing influence of theatres and public exhi- 
bitions, for city life with all its evil accompani- 
ments, is a career of godliness in comparison to 
that which is endured on board a man-of-war. 
Temptation supposes an occasional wandering of 
the youthful traveller from the pathway of virtue? 

(227) 



228 Five Years Before the Mast. 

and if he find his soul languishing in sickness from 
the evil he has plucked, he may again be healed 
by drinking copiously from the healthful springs 
that beset his onward journey ; but here, alas ! the 
poor boy is suddenly dropped into a wilderness of 
sin, amid which he plucks and eats of every vice 
until he becomes sick and blind, and can never 
more hope to stumble on virtue except by accident. 
He finds too late that his moral health has been 
prematurely poisoned. He is drilled into vice 
from morning to night and from night to morning, 
as regularly and methodically as a soldier is drilled 
in the discipline of his corps. His heart becomes 
hardened, his moral sensibilities are blunted, and 
when he attains to what in common parlance is 
called maturity of years, the moral man is lost in 
the drunken and swaggering profligate. Example 
is every thing in the training up of the young, 
and what hope a parent could have in surrounding 
his or her child, with such examples, God only 
knows ! As well might we expect to reap wheat 
from tares, or seek for diamonds in filthy sewers, 
as look for virtue amid corruption, drunkenness, 
and unbridled licentiousness. 

But then it was the naval apprentice system, and 
the naval apprentice system was then in its full tide 
of popularity. Every body believed it was a grand 
scheme, and tried to persuade everybody else to 
believe so too. It was the general impression that 
the world was about beginning its regeneration, and 



Five Years Before the Mast. 229 

that contrary to the usual origin of reformations, 
the first movement had started up at sea. It was 
wonderful to hear what talking there was — to see 
the running and visiting of ships — to witness the 
bowing, scraping, cutting, shuffling and smiling of 
citizens in their congratulations of lieutenants and 
captains, on the supposed approach of the happy 
millennium. An entirely new order of men were 
to be ushered into existence ; the character of the 
navy was to be elevated to an unprecedented stand- 
ard of respectability ; the old order of discipline 
was all to be knocked into a cocked hat, while 
superannuated old salts were to be turned over to a 
life pension in the hospital of oblivion, and their 
places occupied by the hopeful progeny of the ap- 
prentice system. In short, it was hailed as a glo- 
rious epoch in the history of naval tactics, and loud 
hosannas were, in all quarters, sung in its praise ; 
.while the government, catching a part of the gene- 
ral enthusiasm, thought they were playing high 
pranks, and no doubt they were. 

The result of all this talk and clatter was, that 
many a poor woman who groaned over the wash- 
tub in earning a scanty subsistence for her faithful 
offspring, sought to lighten her toil by binding her 
son into the navy. Here, she believed he would be 
provided for. The thought, too, that he would 
here be instructed in the rudiments of an education 
which her poverty denied her the means of impart- 
ing to him, made his incarceration seem like an act 
20 



230 Five Years Before the Mast. 

of benevolence to her child. The idea that a cer- 
tain number of midshipmen were to be annually 
selected from among the apprentice boys, was, also, 
an intoxicating thought to many vain mothers, each 
of whom, believing her own son to be the smartest 
child in the world, supposed him likely, at the close 
of the year, to be honored with the first star and 
anchor, and gold-laced cap. Little knew these 
weak mortals of the corrupting influence attending 
the kind of life to which they were consigning their 
children. They had doubtless formed their esti- 
mate of the navy from the general appearance of 
its officers, and come to the unwise, though not un- 
usual conclusion, that what was elegant and gra- 
cious in external demeanor could harbor but few 
imperfections within. Their general deportment, 
as well as the positions they occupied, inspired con- 
fidence, and led weak-minded parents fondly to im- 
agine that children entrusted to the guardianship 
of such men, could never want for kind and be- 
nevolent masters. 

But what landsman has ever yet learned to esti- 
mate the extent of that barrier which discipline has 
interposed between naval officers and their subordi- 
nates ? The two are as far asunder as heaven and 
earth. Heaven can only be attained by severing 
the link that binds us to life, and it is only by 
breaking the chain of discipline that a naval sea- 
man can ever arrive at intercourse with an officer. 
The practiced coachman turns not aside his vehicle 



Five Years Before the Mast. 231 

to spare the little worm that trails across his path, 
nor pauses he to sympathize with the dying victim as 
the quivering limbs whirl round with the iron bands 
of the onward wheels ; so neither cares the officer 
for the crushed and mangled hearts of men and 
boys, that lie, broken, bleeding and dying, beneath 
the onward wheels of discipline. True, the acci- 
dents of the wealthy, or the misfortunes of the 
great, may elicit from him a passing exclamation 
of pity, or he may even sympathize to tears over the 
calamities of some abused and ill-treated young lady 
of whom he reads in the public prints ; for the ro- 
mance of such things renders them interesting, and 
they are therefore not to be passed by lightly, 
or with indifference. But what cares he for the 
washerwoman's son, or the orphan child of poverty ? 
What claims can the poor illegitimate boy have on 
his charity and protection — he whose mother has 
withered away into an untimely grave, and whose 
father, becoming an enemy to his own flesh and 
blood, after having stamped upon his child the 
incredible stain of bastardy, casts him forth to wal- 
low and fester in premature corruption ? He could 
not for a moment suffer his thoughts to dwell on 
guch lowly objects, except by way of discipline, 
which always carries with it a strong presumption 
in favor of the cat-o'-nine-tails. No, no, it would 
be too humiliating a condescension to inquire into 
the thoughts, tastes, inclinations, wants, and sor- 
rows of so plebeian a race of mortals ; it would be 



232 Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 

too mighty a breach of discipline to stand by the 
hammock of a sick boy, and when his yet innocent 
and untainted heart was breaking with the recol- 
lections of a once happy home, now rendered deso- 
late by the death of her whom his lips were taught 
to call mother, wipe the tears from his pale cheek, 
and breathe into his little ear one soothing word of 
kindness and comfort. What happy impulses 
might not so tender a shoot receive from one kind 
word of hope and encouragement. But no, he may 
weep, wither and die, neglected, in the purlieus of 
his prison house, his malady uncared for, and his 
sorrows and sufferings unknown. 

Well, as has been twice remarked, the Columbus 
t was a school-ship, and whether for better or for 
worse the reader will have perceived that I was 
permanently fixed in it, for a time at least, and 
being so fixed in it, it became me to make the best 
of it I could. Before I had been a week on board 
as one of her crew, I was appointed a ship's corpo- 
ral, which though not a very dignified office, had 
nevertheless some privileges connected with it 
which I had no particular objections towards enjoy- 
ing; and it was also rendered the more desirable to 
me, as it placed my duties out of the jurisdiction 
of the boatswain. I had completed two days in the 
exercise of my new office when a letter arrived from 
Washington, in reference to our Portland corres- 
pondence. The hopes of all my companions were/ 
revived at this pleasing intelligence. Every man 



Five Years Before the Mast. 233 

was now sanguine in his expectations of being dis- 
charged, and I myself had but little doubt of such 
a result. Our suspense was, however, soon over. 
On being called on the quarter-deck, a letter from 
the navy department was read to us, couched in 
such ambiguous terms that it required a better lin- 
guist than any one we had in our party to make 
out head or tail of its meaning. To me, the word- 
ing of the letter appeared to refer the subject of 
our discharge entirely to the discretion of Commo- 
dore Downes ; but the first lieutenant of the Co- 
lumbus, who pretended to be clearly booked up in 
the decyphering of such official bulletins, gave it a 
very different turn, and stated it as the desire of 
the department to have us remain its loyal, and 
faithful subjects, "now and evermore, even unto 
the end." Painfully mortifying as was this con- 
struction to our feelings, we were obliged to suc- 
cumb to it, and bow submissively to the mandate 
of our superiors. Thus terminated our project of 
endeavoring to over-reach Commodore Nicholson, 
and Captain Breese. 

A few days after the above finale, I was honored 
with a visit from Mr. John Pope, formerly first 
lieutenant of the Independence, but now lieutenant 
of Charlestown Navy Yard. This gentleman ap- 
peared to be troubled with qualms in regard to 
the Portland letter. His name had never been 
mentioued in the correspondence, but still he, 
somehow or other, supposed himself implicated. 
20 * 



234 Five Years Before the Mast. 

This uneasiness appeared to me presumptive evi- 
dence of his having aided and abetted in our unjust 
detention ; and when in conjunction with this, was 
considered the manner in which he had backed up 
Commodore Nicholson's speech at New York, the 
evidence was almost conclusive against him. Fully 
impressed with the sense of the injustice I had suf- 
fered at his hands, as well as at those of his former 
commander, I proceeded to meet him at the main- 
mast. He opened immediately by referring to the 
Portland letter. He regretted that it had ever 
been written, inasmuch as none of the parties 
interested in it had been benefitted by it. It had 
only placed me in an awkward position, he said, 
and created a good deal of dissatisfaction on the 
part of Captain Breese. He said, also, that the 
Secretary of the Navy, in consequence of it, had 
been misled to make some unpleasant reflections 
on the conduct of Commodore Nicholson ; that the 
latter gentleman had written a sharp letter to him, 
in which he more than hinted some disagreeable 
and offensive imputations, of which, however, he 
thanked God that he could clear himself; that the 
men who were retained had, in fact, never been 
promised their discharges, and finally wound up by 
declaring the whole letter from beginning to end, 
a tissue of lies, fabricated from motives of malice, 
and sent to Washington in direct violation of disci- 
pline and subordination. 

Upon this, I ventured to observe, that an humble 



Five Years Before the Mast. 235 

seaman, whose personal rights were too often over- 
looked by officers in the pursuit of more weighty 
interests, and whose moral character was always 
squared by the cat-o'-nine-tails, could scarcely be 
expected to understand all the crooks and turns of 
naval etiquette, and hence I might stand in some 
measure excusable. " But," added I, ft Is it not 
true, sir, that both yourself and Commodore Nich- 
olson, as well as Captain Gallagher, held out to us, 
at New York, the strongest impression that we 
would be discharged ?" 

"I believe that such was the general impression 
of most of the men," observed Mr. Pope, evasively. 

" Oh ! certainly the man believed so, of course." 
said I, not a little amused at Mr. Pope's dexterity 
in dodging my question. " But were Commodore 
Nicholson and yourself sincere in your belief that 
we would be discharged ?" 

" We were," replied Mr. Pope. 

"Very well, sir," proceeded I, "You will then 
perceive by your own admission, that all the state- 
ments contained in the letter are not lies." 

Mr. Pope looked very black at these words, and 
the second lieutenant of the Columbus, who was 
walking near us, and who overheard every word 
that was uttered, shoved up alongside of Mr. Pope 
and joined in the discourse. 

" Mr. Pope," said he, " I am surprised that you 
waste time in talking with this scoundrel. It is 
just such men as he that disgrace the service. 



236 Five Years Before the Mast. 

They go abroad in merchant ships to foreign ports, 
where they are kicked ashore for laziness and ras- 
cality, and after becoming ragged, dirty, half 
starved and lousy, then they beg to be taken into 
our ships ; and when we take them in, and give 
them plenty to eat and drink, and good usage — a 

d d sight too good, for if I had my way, I 

would flog every rascal of them three times a day — 
then they come home to their own country, and 
turn around and abuse us officers." 

This pithy interlude of Lieutenant Johnson, had 
the effect of abridging the interview to some extent 
on my part, at least ; for I felt my situation grow- 
ing a little critical, and hinted as much to Mr. Pope. 
I took occasion, however, to reply indirectly to a 
portion of Mr. Johnson's speech, by observing, that 
as Mr. Pope had doubtless some recollection of 
shipping me at Rio Janeiro, he also knew whether 
I was laboring under any of those bodily infirmities 
referred to by his brother officer. 

Mr. Pope remarked as he was not connected 
with the ship, but had only come to talk the matter 
over with me, I should proceed with the same 
freedom as if talking with a shipmate. 

"0 yes!" interposed Mr. Johnson, "let him 
talk till he's tired. It wont do us any hurt ; and 
if he gets too saucy or obstreperous, the cats will 
settle him. yes ! let him talk away." 

" Well, then,'* resumed I, " as you encourage 
me to proceed, I shall call to notice a few circum- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 237 

stances in justification of my conduct. You are 
perhaps aware, Mr. Pope, that while at Rio Janeiro, 
I expressed some doubts of being discharged, at 
which Commodore Nicholson hooted, and spoke in 
quite a confident manner of a far different result. 
On the passage to the United States, it was also a 
thing well understood among the officers, and fre- 
quently talked of among them, that those men 
who had shipped in South America were all to be 
discharged; and you are further aware that this 
belief was still kept alive, and cherished in the minds 
of the men, after our return home, and up to the 
very hour when orders were given for our transfer 
to the North Carolina. Then it was, that the first 
doubts arose of our dismissal ; and you are well 
aware that the following night was attended with 
the desertion of thirty-seven men, all of whom 
would unquestionably have run away sooner, but 
for the prospect held out of obtaining a discharge." 
"Your statement may be correct," observed 
Mr. Pope. 

" Well tHen, after these men had been kept so 
long in the hope of being discharged, was it right 
that they should be disappointed?" 

" The result was unavoidable," said Mr. Pope. 
"Well, sir, admitting that it was unavoidable at 
the time, was it wrong for us to make any subse- 
quent effort for our release ?" 

" After what Commodore Nicholson had done for 
you, all further efforts on your part were useless," 



238 Five Years Before the Mast. 

" And what all did Commodore Nicholson do for 
us?" inquired I. 

" He interceded for you in three different letters, 
Commodore Renshaw and Captain Gallagher both 
aided him; but unfortunately their efforts were 
not successful.' ' 

" Mr. Pope/' answered I, with all the decorum 
I could master, " It may appear like insolence in 
me to contradict an officer, but I have positive 
proof that not the least scratch of any such letter 
was ever transmitted to the department." 

" Call him a liar at once ! Call him a liar at 
once !" ejaculated Mr. Johnson, bridling up, and 
flourishing his fists before my face. 

"From what quarter do you derive your positive 
proof, as you call it," inquired Mr. Pope, nodding 
to the enraged Mr. Johnson to desist. 

"From the Secretary of the Navy," replied L 

The countenance of Mr. Pope at once fell, and 
his looks became gloomy. Seeing that I had him 
in a kind of a dilemma, I proceeded to explain the 
manner in which this testimony had been obtained 
from the Secretary. On adverting to the fact of a 
letter having been transmitted from the Department 
to Mr. Long, and from the latter gentleman to the 
Preble, he became desirous of dropping the subject, 
and though I offered to procure the letter for his 
particular inspection, he said it was unnecessary to 
do so, as he had not time to peruse it. 

" I have only one more remark to mako on the 



Five Years Before the Mast. 239 

subject," said Mr. Pope. " Had you never written 
that letter, but kept quiet and exemplary in your 
conduct, and come peaceably to me and requested 
your discharge, I would have used every exertion 
to obtain it for you ; but since you have chosen 
otherwise, and raised silly charges to blacken the 
reputation of myself, as well as that of Commodore 
Nicholson — I say, under the circumstances, I'll be 

d d if I do," and Mr. Pope emphasized his 

determination by smacking his fist on the fiferail 
with such force, that an iron belaying pin jumped 
out of its station, and tumbled down on the toe of 
Lieutenant Johnson, who went hopping across the 
quarter-deck with one foot in his hand, and making 
as many grimaces as a monkey at a concert. 

"Mr. Pope," answered I, while replacing the 
belaying pin, " I have now been two years in the 
service, and can easily weather out a third. Up 
to the present time, I h^ve met with some good 
treatment, and a great deal that I considered 
harsh. I have asked but few favors from officers, 
and those few have seldom been granted ; but as to 
my discharge, I have never yet solicited you, or 
any other officer to procure it for me, and, come 
good or ill of my w r ords, I boldly assert that I 
never will!" and bowing respectfully to my official 
visiter, who turned towards the cabin, I glided 
down the hatchway, and returned to my duty on 
the lower gun-deck. 

Having now abandoned all prospect of obtaining 



240 Five Years Before the Mast. 

a dismissal, I deemed it best to make myself as 
agreeable and useful in the ship as my position 
would allow. I had opportunities of going occa- 
sionally on shore ; but as these jaunts were always 
attended with unnecessary expense, I seldom in- 
dulged in them. As time wore on, and I became 
better accustomed to the ship and her officers, I 
was so well contented with my situation that I 
would scarcely have exchanged my place in the 
Columbus for a berth in any sea-going ship. 

During my second month in the ship, I was un- 
expectedly called on to take charge of a class of 
some eighteen boys in the schoolroom. To this I 
objected with all my might, and adhered to my 
resolution quite perseveringly, until the captain 
began to talk about gangways and cat-o'-nine-tails 
so pathetically that I was moved to yield the point, 
and accept the office of a schoolmaster. Every, 
body knows that bad usage and bad example will 
make bad children, and I had been wide enough 
awake to discover, without the aid of a spy-glass, 
that this rule held good at sea as well as on land. 
The class of which I was requested to take charge 
was composed of the most bulky boys in the ship, 
who also bore the reputation of being the most 
ungovernable. Two schoolmasters had already 
been compelled to yield to them the unwilling palm 
of victory, and a third would have shared a similar 
fate, had he not baffled his juvenile enemies by a 
timely desertion of both the schoolroom and the 



Five Years Before the Mast. 241 

Columbus. I entered as the fourth incumbent in 
the administration of affairs ; and having made an 
inaugural address, in which I laid down a brief 
exposition of the principles and measures by which 
I hoped my official career to be characterized, pro- 
ceeded to the discharge of my arduous labors with 
such success, that for two whole weeks the class 
remained as quiet and passive under my superin- 
tendence as if no revolution had ever taken place 
in their government. 

But time soon developed the fact, that my 
administration was too monarchical for the demo- 
cratic tastes of my youthful subjects: and, like 
Louis Philippe, I was fated to see my power totter- 
ing to decay at the very hour I thought it most 
triumphantly established. But like Louis, I did 
not run — the thought of deserting my throne was 
infamy to my courage. I resolved to stand my 
ground, and brave whatever adverse fortune might 
" buckle on my back." 

One day, about the commencement of my third 
week of mastership, I had seated myself between 
two guns to do a sum in arithmetic, when I hap- 
pened to overhear the boys whispering ; and 
glancing my eye under the gun, I could see all 
that was passing at the table round which they 
were sitting without being seen by them. 

" Jones," whispered one of the larger boys to his 
companion across the table, " how would you like 
to shoot the master ?" 
21 



242 Five Years Before the Mast. 

"First-rate, if I only knew how to get hold of a 
pistol/ 7 observed Jones. 

"Just creep under the table, to this side, and 
get one out of my pea-jacket pocket," continued 
Greggs. 

Jones proceeded under the table according to 
directions, and drawing a bottle from the pocket 
of his companion, took a deliberate sup of whiskey. 
I rose instantly from my seat between the guns, 
while Jones hastily regained his. 

" Greggs," said I, leaning over the table, "give 
me your pistol till I take the priming out, or you 
may do some mischief with it." 

Greggs demurred, and placed his hand on his 
pocket to hold it shut. 

"You refuse, do you?" said I, and reaching 
over the table, I grasped master Greggs by the 
collar, and dragged him from between the guns. 

This appeared to be a signal for a general rebel- 
lion, as the whole class were instantly on their 
feet, and surrounding me with the dexterity of a 
swarm of bees. Master Greggs had grasped me 
with both arms round my left leg, and was doing 
his prettiest to dance me about the deck on my 
right toe, while the pistol shooter, Jones, was using 
his utmost exertions to divest me of my ratan. 
Two boys had caught hold of my arms, but finding 
their strength insufficient to pinion them, gave 
them up for a more' successful assault upon my 
hair ; and soon succeeding in drawing my hea.d 



Five Years Before the Mast. 243 

within the reach of the smaller boys, a third, and 
fourth, lent me a deliberate box on the ear. At 
this stage of the squabble, master Greggs had 
become so far victorious as to dance me up against 
one of the guns, when Jones, who had relieved me 
of the ratan, and handed it over to one of the 
smaller boys, who kept favoring me with an occa- 
sional cut from it, caught me by the other leg, and 
the two together gave me such a hoist as pitched 
me clear over the gun, and landed me on the 
opposite side with my shoulder wedged between 
two shot boxes, and my heels extended upward in 
the air where my head ought to have been. The 
peculiarity of my situation raised a general laugh 
throughout the schoolroom, at which Greggs, Jones 
and company took fresh courage, and recommenced 
the battle. The number of killed and w T ounded in 
this engagement might perhaps have been more 
numerous, had it not been unexpectedly terminated 
by the first lieutenant. That gentleman, having 
been alarmed by the uproarious turmoil below 
deck, hastened to the scene of action and sounded 
a parley. At the sound of his voice, the assailants 
fell back in dismay, while he set on foot speedy 
measures for investigating the object of the bellige- 
rent powers. In the meantime, I was enabled to 
gain a more favorable position than the one last 
occupied, and proceeded to a diplomatic arrange- 
ment of the quarrel. 

In all great municipal conflicts, the supremacy 



244 Five Years Before the Mast. 

of the law requires that the principal offenders 
shall expiate their crimes. Greggs and Jones were 
the principal offenders — they had subverted the 
legitimate authority — they had taken up arms 
against the administration — they had shot the 
master ; and the public peace, as well as the pres- 
ervation of discipline, demanded that their crimes 
be visited on their hea — backs. The young cul- 
prits were consequently sent to the forward part 
of the ship, to gun number 45, where a dozen lashes 
were inflicted on the bare person of each, a la mode 
aposteriori. 

Nor was the day wholly unpropitious to me. A 
new idea had opened upon me. I resolved never 
more to flog another boy in the ship, but whenever 
any one committed an offence deserving of correc- 
tion, to write a statement of it on a slip of paper, 
and send it by the offender to the first lieutenant, 
who never permitted him to depart unrewarded. 
From the adoption of this rule, my empire in the 
schoolroom became complete. Before two weeks 
more had elapsed, there was not a boy in the class 
but would have sooner suffered any punishment I 
would have inflicted on him, than have carried a 
pass to the first lieutenant. 



Note. — The government becoming sensible of the defects of the 
" Apprentice" system, have abolished it. 



6^f)fel v Joqirfeeoffi. 



An Unexpected Journey. 

Although my duties in the school-room cut me 
off from the daily companionship of my old associ- 
ates of the Preble, they did not lead me to neglect 
them. Night usually brought with it a momentary 
respite from labor, when there would be a re-union 
of warm and generous hearts. At such times we 
crept silently away to some quiet nook in the ves- 
sel, and there in happy forgetfulness of over- 
watchful discipline, recounted to each other the 
many hardships and gales we had encountered 
through life. 

From February until May, a few remarkable 
incidents took place on board the Columbus, but as 
I was not immediately interested in* them, I shall 
consume neither time nor space in recording them. 

About the first of May, an order from govern- 
ment was received at Boston, instructing Commo- 
dore Downes to forward as many seamen to the 
sloop of war Fairfield, then lying at New York, as 
could be spared from his command. As the frigate 
Constellation, and the sloop Preble, had both drawn 

21 * ( 245 ) 



246 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the chief bulk of their crews from the same quarter 
during the preceding winter, there was, in conse- 
quence, at that time, but a scanty surplus of men 
on board the Columbus. It was also a well known 
fact, that those men who had formerly belonged to 
the Preble, had most of them but a few months 
longer to serve, and that the usages of the service, 
would scarcely warrant the government in again 
sending them abroad on a foreign station. But 
notwithstanding these facts, the commodore con- 
ceived it necessary to have the Fairfield manned at 
all hazards ; and ordering twenty-one able seamen 
to be selected from the crew of the Columbus, with- 
out regard to the duration of their term of service, 
it fell to my lot to be numbered among this draft. 

On the third day after the draft was mustered 
out, myself and companions were ordered upon our 
journey to New York. We took a hasty leave of 
the old Columbus ; not, however, without regret, 
and amid a warm shaking of hands, and a general 
expression of the good wishes of our old shipmates 
for our continued health and happiness. 

It is a rule of discipline in the American navy, 
that a sailor shall never be trusted one rod from 
the ship, unless accompanied by an officer, as it is 
the general impression that such a mark of confi- 
dence must otherwise inevitably end, either in ab- 
solute desertion, or downright drunkenness. On 
the other hand, it is also a rule firmly established 
among sailors, as discipline itself, always to try to 



Five Years Before the Mast. 247 

outwit their superiors, and over-reach their vigi- 
lance. In virtue of the first of these rules, Lieu- 
tenant Johnson of the Columbus, and two midship- 
men, had been dispatched with us to New York, to 
guard our movements and keep us from getting 
drunk ; and in virtue of the second, it was the 
intention of two-thirds of my companions to get as 
drunk as Bacchus, and have a most jolly time of it. 
The natural result of these two opposing rules of 
discipline was, that a very sharp lookout was kept 
up on both sides. But, though, the vigilance of 
three pairs of government eyes were kept constantly 
playing upon our movements, four junk bottles of 
good whiskey, nevertheless, found their way into 
our car in less than one hour after our departure 
from Boston, all of which, were emptied of their 
contents before we had reached Rhode Island. In 
crossing the ferry at Providence, some of the men, 
finding themselves, as yet, only " half seas over," 
inquired for liquor at the bar of the boat, but were 
told by the bar-keeper, that the vessel was a tem- 
perance boat; and yet, notwithstanding this infor- 
mation, Jack Brown, one of the most ingenious 
members of our party, contrived to play around 
this same temperance bar-keeper so effectually, that 
he got two of his empty junk bottles filled with 
brandy. Jack slipped the bottles into the pocket 
of his pea-jacket, and took his stand on the guard 
of the steamer, a few paces forward of the w T heel- 
house ; while the two midshipmen kept walking 



248 Five Years Beeoke the Mast. 

about on the bow deck, in order to be ready for 
gathering up their troops as soon as the boat should 
touch the landing. 

Now, whether it was that my good-natured ship- 
mate, Jack Brown, was really laboring under the 
influence of the two junk bottles in his pocket, or 
whether the motion of the temperance boat deran- 
ged his equilibrium, I am at present unable to 
determine, but certain it is, that Jack unexpectedly 
reeled from his stand on the guards, and though 
he struck out his hand to grasp at, what he suppo- 
sed to be a stanchion of the boat, yet there was no 
stanchion there, and in consequence of this fatal 
mistake on the part of the boat-builder, he was pre- 
cipitated headlong into the waters of Providence 
bay. 

" A man overboard !" shouted the pilot. 

Lieutenant Johnson ran to the rail and looked 
over the side. 

"It is Brown," cried he. "Bear a hand this 
way, my lads, and throw him the bite of a line. 
Quick !" 

But, unfortunately for Brown, there was no line 
just at hand, and the poor fellow would certainly 
have become food for the fishes had not Nelson 
Burce, another whole-souled fellow of my own 
mess, become excessively alarmed for the safety of 
the two junk bottles of brandy, which he knew 
were in Brown's pockets. To prevent so fatal a 
loss, he instantly threw off his jacket, and plung- 



Five Tears Before the Mast. 249 

ing fearlessly into the bay, swam to the assistance 
of his friend, whose head he succeeded in keeping 
above water until both were finally relieved from 
their perilous situation by the timely "assistance of 
a shore boat. 

Having succeded in getting our amphibious ship- 
mates once more on land, and our baggage and 
hammocks stowed safely away in the baggage-car, 
we all resumed our seats in the train, and pitched 
ahead on the western portion of the track, as 
fast as steam locomotion could carry us. It was 
dark when we arrived at Stonington, where we 
were instantly hurried on board a New York 
steamer ; and after eating a good supper, which 
Lieutenant Johnson had the liberality to procure for 
us on board the boat, we were left to amuse our- 
selves as best we could, our official watchman well 
knowing that there could be no such thing as 
running away from the middle of Long Island 
Sound. 

Leaving my companions to the discussing of 
their two bottles of brandy on the bow deck, I 
walked aft into the vicinity of the cabin, and leaned 
thoughtfully over the rail to enjoy for a brief pe- 
riod the quiet of the evening, which was beautifully 
serene. The waters of the Sound were as smooth 
and silvery as the glassy surface of a river, while 
the moon, which had not yet filled the horns of her 
crescent, cast a pale and mellow light over the vast 
expanse, blending together the heavens and the 

15 



250 Five Years Before the Mast. 

nether element in one magnificent scene of azure. 
As I continued to gaze attentively on the splendor 
of the skies and the white foam that boiled up 
from behind the wheel-house, my thoughts uncon- 
sciously wandered homeward, and the once loved 
form of mother and sisters flitting through my 
fancy, drew from my breast an involuntary sigh. 

" A beautiful evening," said a lady's voice close 
behind me. 

The sudden appearance of a ghost could not 
have startled me more than did these words, and 
turning hastily around, my eyes rested on the fair 
face of the speaker, who was leaning on the arm 
of a gentleman. 

" You must excuse our abruptness," said the 
gentleman, apologizing pleasantly for the shock 
they had occasioned me. " It was not our inten- 
tion to alarm you." 

" It was a the voice of the lady," an- 
swered I, scarcely knowing what to say. " It is 
not often we sailors are spoken to by ladies, and 
besides my thoughts were at the moment fixed on 
the recollections of home." 

"A moving theme for the reflections of those 
who have been long absent from their friends," 
observed the gentleman ; " and long absence is 
a misfortune peculiar to a sailor's calling. How 
long have you been from home ?" 

"Near seven years," answered I. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 251 

" Seven years ! A long while, indeed. I scarcely 
wonder that your thoughts recur homeward." 

My new and unexpected acquaintance continued 
to press the conversation until he drew from me all 
the particulars in regard to our present journey to 
New York, and a brief history of my personal ex- 
perience in the "Mess-Koom" of Uncle Sam. As 
question followed question, other passengers from 
the cabin were collected to the spot, until, in a 
short time, I found myself surrounded by a crowd 
of fashionable ladies and gentlemen, all of whom 
appeared to find a peculiar pleasure in hearing a 
live sailor talk with a fluency of language equal to 
that of a rational landsman. 

" Strange !" observed a lady among the crowd, 
to her companion. " This man has certainly been 
accustomed to good society." 

" His language, at least, would seem to imply as 
much," responded a gentleman. 

* Just so," observed a third voice ; " and I would 
venture the assertion that his friends spared no 
efforts in his early instruction." 

w I beg your pardon, gentleman," said I, my 
vanity receiving a sudden inflation from their ob- 
servations ; " but it has been my constant misfor- 
tune, from infancy to manhood, to have to contend 
with ignorance and poverty. My friends were too 
poor to do any thing for my early instruction. 
The decks of the whale-ship and of the man-o'-war, 



252 FivjE Years Before the Mast. 

together with my own observation, have been my 
only schoolmaster." 

"What are you doing here, you rascal ?" ex- 
claimed Lieutenant Johnson in a harsh voice, shoul- 
dering his way among the passengers. "Away 
with you to the forward part of the boat where 
you belong." 

I marched forward in double quick time, while 
a murmur of disapprobation arose among the pas- 
sengers in respect to the imperative behavior of 
Lieutenant Johnson. 

On the following morning by sunrise, the steamer 
had made her way to the East river. Many of the 
passengers were up at an early hour, and preparing 
their toilet for a respectable entrance into the great 
metropolis of the western world. I was leisurely 
pacing the deck a short distance abaft the wheel- 
shaft, and casting an occasional look along the 
placid waters of the river, when I was again pleas- 
antly greeted with the appearance of the lady and 
gentleman who had caused my alarm on the prece- 
ding night. A conversation was immediately com- 
menced, in which the young lady, as well as her 
male protector participated. 

"I assure you," said my new acquaintance, 
referring in his discourse to the peremptory lan- 
guage of Lieutenant Johnson ; " I and Clara both 
felt indignant at the abrupt and vulgar manner in 
which you were dismissed. Is such rudeness to 
subordinates common among naval officers ?" 



Five Years Before the Mast. 253 

"Rudeness !" echoed I, looking the gentleman 
in the face, with a smile. " Did you consider that 
rudeness ? why I regarded it as being moderately 
polite. Had it not been for the presence of the 
ladies, the language of Mr. Johnson would most 
probably have been embellished with at least half a 
dozen of the most nautical oaths and curses imagi- 
nable." 

My new friend seemed to regret deeply that offi- 
cial dignity should condescend to profanity and 
absolute vulgarity ; and while yet giving expression 
to a full sense of his feelings on the subject, he 
was interrupted by the compliments of the morning 
offered to him, by a gentleman of a fine benevolent 
countenance, from the opposite side of the boat. 
Clara and her protector both bowed their com- 
pliments in return to their fellow traveller, who, 
with a gracious smile, passed onward towards the 
cabin. 

"Do you know that gentleman ?" said Clara to 
me, her face still gleaming with the satisfaction his 
smile of recognition had awakened. 

" I have no recollection of ever having seen him 
before," replied I. 

"It is Mr. Choat," remarked the gentleman. 

" Senator Choat, of Massachusetts ?" inquired L 

"The same," replied the lady. "I thought, as 
you came from Boston, you might perhaps have 
seen him there." 

"You must be aware,'' said I, laughing, "that 
22 



254 Five Years Before the Mast. 

I did not move in the same society with Mr. 
Choat." 

" Perhaps not," responded the lady, with a 
smile ; " and yet there are doubtless those associa- 
ting in the same circle who are less qualified for 
the distinction than yourself." 

" Thank you for your favorable opinion/ ' said 
I, with a bow ; " but I am not ambitious of desi- 
ring such a distinction, without the corresponding 
means of sustaining it, and until that time arrives, 
which may never be, I shall have to content my- 
self with that kind of company/' interrupted I, 
nodding towards one of my drunken ^ shipmates, 
who at that instant fell over the wheel-shaft, im- 
mersing his head in a bucket of water. 

"Hallo here, John Brown the Baptist, right out 
of Providence bay and into it agin," shouted one 
of our party, raising Brown up, and putting his 
hat on his head. "I'll be hanged, Burce, if he 
doesn't take to salt water jist as nateral as a 
herrin'." 

"He always did, and can't be broke of it," said 
Brown. 

" He's etarnally capsizing," observed an old 
quarter-gunner, named Sam Frost. " Blast your 
eyes, Brown," added he, shaking the fallen man 
by the shoulder, "you ort to take ballast aboard 
to steady you." 

"D — n em' bugger you an' your ballast/' re- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 255 

torted Brown, hiccupping. " Havn't I been takin* 
it aboard all night ?" 

"Ay, ay, to be sure you have, you lubber!' 7 
proceeded Frost. "But you take it in at top, 
instead of bottom. You'll never be able to carry 
a steady boom that way." 

As I had no desire to listen to the nautical dis- 
course of my shipmates, or to hear such casual 
remarks as the citizen passengers might feel dis- 
posed to make on their conduct, I walked behind 
the wheelhouse, and found a momentary amuse- 
ment in watching the receding points of land that 
bounded the extent of the waters, as the boat glided 
rapidly by them. My new acquaintance, as if 
determined to monopolize my company while he 
remained on the boat, soon reappeared at my side. 
We were then in the neighborhood of Hellgate, 
and he entertained me with a description of the 
surrounding country, the several channels of the 
river in the celebrated pass, as well as the currents 
of the water at different stages of the tide. In the 
midst of our discourse, we werq interrupted by the 
sound of the breakfast bell. 

As my fellow-traveller departed to the cabin, one 
of the midshipmen came to me and told me that 
Lieutenant Johnson was willing that the men 
should eat their meals on board the boat, provided 
they paid for it themselves. Believing Uncle Sam 
in duty bound to furnish me my rations at all times 
while wearing the livery of his "mess-room," I 



256 Five Years Before the Mast. 

had no inclination to sustain Mr. Johnson's pro- 
viso, by the payment of half a dollar out of my 
own pocket, and hence declined taking breakfast. 
Some of the party, who were less tenacious on the 
score of cash, or who anticipated some strange sort 
of satisfaction from rendering their awkwardness 
conspicuous to the gentry at the cabin table, ac- 
cepted the conditions ; and though Lieutenant 
Johnson paid the bill, yet the fifty cents were sub- 
sequently footed up to each man's account, after 
his arrival on board the Fairfield. 

By the time breakfast was over, Blackwell's 
Island had been passed, and the noble steamer 
w r as bearing rapidly down into the vicinity of New 
York. The passengers began to crowd the deck 
on all sides. Much congratulation and shaking of 
hands, in anticipation of their approaching separa- 
tion, was every where perceptible among them. 
Directing my looks to seaward, my eyes caught a 
glimpse of the sloop Fairfield. She was moored 
in the East river, near half a mile south of the 
Battery; her graceful hull and web-like shrouds, 
together with her lofty and symmetrical spars, 
forming across the horizon a picture of such grace 
and beauty as could not fail of arousing in the 
bosom of a sailor a feeling of admiration. 

"You appear to be inspecting your new home," 
said my gentleman acquaintance, once more ap- 
proaching me in company with his charge, and 
speaking as if divining my thoughts. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 257 

" Yes, sir," replied I, smiling, and still looking 
in the direction of the vessel ; " in less than half an 
hour from the present time, that ship will have 
become my home for the space of ten months at 
least/ ' 

"Are you then going to part with us immedi- 
ately ?" said the lady. "I was telling uncle that 
you might perhaps go on shore in the city, and how 
pleasant it would be to have your company at our 
home." 

" I can feel grateful for your intended kindness, 
even without enjoying it," answered I, strangely 
moved at such generous condescension towards an 
humble sailor, whose very uniform made him scouted 
by the mass of society. " But no, no ; I shall not 
get on shore. I see there are boats now coming 
from the Fairfield. They are apprized of our 
arrival, and will be at the landing to receive us." 

" May you not, however, be in the city before 
the ship goes to sea?" inquired the gentleman. 

" Perhaps I might get leave of absence," 
answered I. 

" Then you must call at our house," interposed 
Clara. "Uncle," added she, drawing a card from 
a small pocket-case, " what is the number where 
you have ordered our rooms?" 

" The address is in my trunk," answered the 
gentleman; " but he can ascertain the place from 
our friends in Broadway." 

" True," observed the lady, writing with a pen- 
22* 



258 Five Years Before the Mast. 

cil on the card, and handing it to me. " Inquire 
there, whenever you visit the city, and you will 
find us." 

The steamer touched the wharf at that instant, 
and there was a general rush of the passengers for 
the shore. My new acquaintances both extended 
their hands to bid me farewell, but w T ere simulta- 
neously separated from me by the crowd. The 
midshipmen were running fore and aft, calling out 
the names of the men, and hurrying all hands, 
drunk and sober, together with their bags and 
hammocks, into the Fairfield's boats ; while Lieu- 
tenant Johnson, in the meantime, had taken up 
his station on the wharf, to prevent the egress of 
such of our little party as might be disposed to 
take French leave. Amid the general confusion 
of the moment, I did not pause to read the super- 
scription on the card of Clara, but placed it hastily 
m my pocket-book, which I slipped loosely into my 
jacket-pocket. As soon as the boat had shoved 
clear of the - steamer, I began to search for my 
card, when — lo and behold ! my pocket-book, to- 
gether with the card, and one dollar and seventy- 
five cents in money had, no doubt, found its way 
into the slippery fingers of some slippery pick- 
pocket. 

"Burce, bythunder,I've been robbed !" exclaimed 
I, to that worthy, who shared a seat with me in the 
stern sheets of the boat. 

"So have I," observed Burce, coolly. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 259 

u What have you lost ?" Inquired I. 

" Brown stole my bottle I" 

"No matter, so you got the liquor," said I. 

a That's the devil of it ! He drunk the liquor, 
and smashed the bottle,' ' answered Burce. 

" Well, its a bad wind that blows nobody any 
good. What's your loss is his gain. He only stole 
what he could drink, but I've lost my money, and 
the thief can't drink that, you know V 9 

"May be not," said Burce, "but he can take 
the money you saved on your breakfast this morn- 
ing, and buy a quart of brandy with it." 

"Very consoling, Burce ! You're as deep in 
philosophy as I am, and so we'll square yards with 
each other." 

* In ten minutes more we were alongside the Fair- 
field. I was the first to mount by the manropes, 
and as I gained the hammock nettings, I made a 
pause, and glanced my eye to the forecastle, where 
the boatswain w 7 as engaged in squaring the yards. 
It was Mr. Edgar. " Can it be possible," exclaimed 
I, mentally, " that I am to come again within reach 
of that rascal !" Still staring at the boatswain, J 
did not notice that the gangway ladder had been 
removed for the purpose of being holystoned, and 
making one step, down went myself, bag, ham- 
mock, and all, sprawling and spluttering, on the 
unswabbed decks of the Fairfield. 

"Avast there, shipmate! you'd better clew up 
your sails, or you'll be boardin' us here by the run," 



260 Five Years Before the Mast. 

exclaimed an old sailor, picking up my hammock. 
On looking up, I recognized in the face of the 
speaker an old quarter-master, who had formerly 
served with me in the Independence. In an in- 
stant I had regained my feet. 

" Are you hurt ?" inquired he, twisting his eyes 
about my person, as if trying to identify me. 

" Why Hull ! blast your old eyes, how do you 
do ? Are you alive yet ? I thought you had gone 
to ' kingdom come' long ago ! Give me your flip- 
per, you old sea elephant, till I shake the kinks 
out of your knuckles. Hurt, did you say ? No. 
" Sound enough at bottom, but a little out of trim 
here," added I, pointing with my finger to my 
head. 

" Nater ! nater !" cried my old friend, shaking 
me warmly by the hand ; " I never tack three times 
into a grogshop myself, but what I git the same 
feelin' ; and then I turn keel up, and drag out, with 
guards under, in the lee scuppers/' 

" No, no, 'tis'nt that I mean, Hull," said I ; " for 
I don't like the ' critter' well enough to cruise after 
it. But I had just got a sight at your boatswain, 
when I upsot. It took me all aback in my mind. 
I thought when he left Boston, we should always 
sail clear of each other, but I find that I have over- 
hauled him again." 

" You mean Mr. Edgar ? Yes, yes, I did hear 
he war'nt so well liked in the Columbus ; but it's 



Five Years Before the Mast. 261 

best to keep a bright eye to windward, for he car- 
ries a high press of sail here." 

" Does he ? Oh ! then I shall be as polite as a 
dancing master, and take my first lesson in dissem- 
bling now; for I perceive he is coming this way, to 
see, perhaps, how many of his old friends are 
among our party." 

The side ladder having been replaced, our whole 
party descended to the deck ; and having deposited 
their bags and bedding on the booms, stood grouped 
together in the larboard gangway ; while the men 
of the Fairfield, in the meantime, busied themselves 
in swabbing up the decks. As Edgar approached 
the mainmast, he paused an instant, directly in front 
of us, and after surveying each man deliberately 
greeted us in his own peculiar way. 

" Good mornin, boys — pleasant time in the 
steamer, I reckon — eight bells — jist in time for 
grog, boys," said Edgar, in whose mind drinking 
grog was at all times an object of paramount con- 
sideration to any other duty. 

" Good morning, Mr. Edgar," said I, extending 
my hand. 

" How dy do !" exclaimed he, shaking it emphat- 
ically. "Blast my eyes, if this an't clever — always 
like to shake hands with an old friend — stirs up 
one's bilge water, don't it?" 

"Hypocrite!" thought I, as he spoke. "How 
I would like to have you on shore, and subscribe 
my mark of friendship on your nose ;" but smoth- 



262 Five Years Before the Mast. 

ering my feelings, I asked him how he got on in 
his new station. " Jam up — would'nt give the lit- 
tle craft for two old Columbus'," and putting his 
call to his mouth, the little boatswain waddled off, 
piping all hands to the double duty of grog and 
breakfast. 

On descending with my clothes-bag to the berth- 
deck, my looks wandered fore and aft, scanning 
the spaciousness of the vessel's hull, as is usual 
with seamen who comprehend the usefulness and 
convenience of a roomy ship. Before I had com- 
pleted my survey, my eyes rested on the master's 
mate, who was figuring away at a small desk, on 
the larboard side of the main hold, and directing 
an occasional sentence to the master-at-arms, who 
occupied a campstool about one fathom on his right 
hand. I had certainly beheld the countenance of 
the master's-mate before, but where, or when, had 
entirely slipped my memory. I looked, and looked, 
but with no better recollection. 

^ Hull," said I, to the old quarter-master, who 
hung near me, as if fearful of losing my company 
to breakfast ; " who the devil is master's-mate here ? 
If it was'nt for the Buffalo-robe whiskers yon chap 
wears, I should swear it was Jerry Tripp ?" 

" You may, if you choose, swear it any how ; 
whiskers or no whiskers," said Hull. " Only you 
must kick the Jerry overboard, and call him Mr. 
Tripp; for the captain has put a haiidle to his 
name." 



Five Years Before the Mast. 263 

" Oh ! very well, then, overboard it goes ; and 
so, good by to Jerry Tripp, and welcome Mr. Tripp. 
How are you Mr. Tripp ?" added I, approaching 
the desk, and addressing the newly made officer. 

" Good mommy' said Mr. Tripp, rolling up his 
eyes, and staring me vacantly in the face. " I be- 
lieve you-— a — have the advantage of me ? — a — yes 
no — yes — no you hav'nt nether, I guess I've seen 
you afore, hav'nt I?" 

" Quite likely," said I j " for I sailed with you 
in the Independence. " 

" In the Independence ! Oh ! a — yes, under 
Commodore Nicholson — yes, I was in the Inde- 
pendence ! Well, what do you want?" 

" ! nothing of importance, but my discharge," 
answered I. "And you can do nothing towards 
procuring me that. Nothing from nothing and 
how much remains, Hull?" said I, to the old quarter- 
master, as I turned, with a wink, from Mr. Tripp. 

" Five naval buttons with a swallow-tailed coat !" 
said Hull, chuckling at the manner in which my 
compliments had been met by the inflated Mr. 
Jeremiah B. Tripp. 

With a hearty laugh at the mingled pride and 
ignorance of the puny officer, who now sought 
sedulously to hold himself aloof from the com- 
panionship of his former associates, Hull and I 
repaired to our breakfast, which the cook of the 
mess had tjjat morning spread for us under the 
top-gallant forecastle. 



Gf^pfel* Tif^ ee 0^« 



In which the Jour. Shoemaker finds himself destined for a distant 
portion of the world. 

The first two weeks following our arrival on 
board the Fairfield, were mostly spent in organizing 
the crew, making out the watch, quarter and station 
bills, exercising occasionally at making and taking 
in sail, and at small arms. My station was on the 
forecastle, and in the larboard watch. Captain 
Tattnall, impressed with the belief that I had not 
followed the sea long enough to perform able sea- 
man's duty, had me placed on the station bills as 
an ordinary seaman, notwithstanding I had drawn 
seaman's pay and done seaman's duty, both in the 
Preble and the Columbus. I might have started ob- 
jections at thus being disrated without just cause, 
but refrained from doing so, from fear of thrusting 
my head' into hot water. I had sufficient sagacity 
to discover that our captain was not possessed of 
the most amiable temper in the world ; and the first 
lieutenant, Mr. Whittle, a tall, lean man, with 
dark hair, dark eyes, and skin of the same hue, 
had managed, during my first five days of service, 
to single me out as an object of his most particular 
dislike. Under these circumstances, it became me 

(264) 



Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 265 

to toe the mark of discipline with such scrupulous 
exactness as could leave no room for cats, or 
caterwauling. 

About the 18th of May we hove up our anchors, 
and sailed out of New York harbor. But very 
few, if any, of the foremast hands knew anything 
definite concerning the place of our destination. 
Some expressed themselves as being quite certain 
that we were out for the coast of Africa, while 
others maintained with equal confidence that we 
were bound for the West Indies ; and a few were 
impressed with the belief that we were destined 
for the coast of Brazil, to relieve the ship Marion, 
which vessel had been reported in a sinking condi- 
tion, and was then hove down at Rio Janeiro to 
undergo repairs. Contrary, however, to the pre- 
dictions of all these sea prophets, the vessel, in a 
few days breasted her way into the mouth of 
Chesapeake bay, doubled Cape Henry, and soon 
afterwards, we dropped our anchor at Hampton 
Roads, in Virginia. Here we found the Delaware 
ship of the line, bearing the broad pennant of 
Commodore Morris, and destined as the flag ship 
of the Brazilian squadron. 

It was now becoming pretty evident to all hands, 
that the coast of Brazil was ultimately to become 
our place of destination. This result, to which 
events seemed rapidly concurring, certainly af- 
forded me some very peculiar reflections. It was 

in Brazil that I had shipped in the American navy, 
23 



266 Five Years Before the Mast. 

with no other object in view, than that of returning 
to the United States ; and now, after having trav- 
ersed the Atlantic ocean on both sides of the equa- 
tor, from the Rio La Plata, to Labrador, I was 
likely, at the end of three years, to come out — 
like Col. Crocket, in his congress speech — at 
the same hole I went in at. I had, however, 
two ideas with which to console my feelings, and 
which doubtless restrained me from committing any 
act of extravagance. One was, that there was no 
use in grumbling, and the other was, that all the 
grumbling I could possibly do, would not change 
the destination of the vessel. But circumstances 
of an unforseen character, delayed the sailing of 
the squadron, and eventually worked a change in 
the intended movements of the Fairfield. 

About this time certain sharp-eyed New Yorkers 
fixed their clutches on a somewhat notorious person- 
age, named McLeod, who had led the depredations 
on the steamer Caroline, during the late insurrec- 
tion in Canada. He was no sooner imprisoned than 
the British authorities demanded his release ; but 
this the Yorkers refused to grant, grounding their 
objections on the plea, that the depredations 
had been committed within the jurisdiction of 
their state. The British government began imme- 
diately, on this refusal, to talk of war ; and Brother 
Jonathan, to show his spunk, began to talk of war 
also. As a natural consequence of the quarrel, an 
angry correspondence was soon originated, between 



Five Years Before the Mast. 267 

foreign diplomatists and native diplomatists, ac- 
companied with such a hostile scatterment of ink, 
as seemed to darken the political atmosphere of both 
countries. Under this gloomy aspect of affairs, 
Captain Tattnall determined to show to the world 
in general, and to little Hampton in particular, 
what he could do ; and ordering up on deck, all 
the old hogsheads, and empty barrels that could be 
found about the ship's hold, he had them anchored 
out in the stream, and casting loose the big guns, 
set the sailors to work in shooting the heads out of 
them. Then commenced such a cannonading as 
never before shook the timbers of the old Fairfield. 
The Virginia negro fishermen stood aghast in their 
boats — the blackbirds fled, screaming from the 
shores of the bay, and buried themselves in the 
hidden recesses of the forests ; while the lobsters 
and bottle-fish, alarmed at the terrible commotion, 
dove violently away to the sandy beds of the ocean, 
fearful and trembling, as if heaven and earth were 
being torn asunder. Oh! it was an awful time to 
everybody in the ship, and particularly so to me, 
who had always found it hard enough work to ex- 
ercise uncharged guns, without the additional ac- 
companiment of shot, catridges, wads, hemp, pitch, 
tar, grease, sweat, dirt, powder, grape and all the 
complex et cetera of death, havoc, toil, filth and de- 
struction. But, notwithstanding, it was a foretaste 
of war, and we must go it, and go it we did, with a 
perfect rush. 



268 Five Years Before the Mast. 

" Boarders, away, on the larboard bow I" shouted 
the captain through the speaking trumpet. 

And away ran every man, armed with a cutlass, 
boarding pike, or pistol, presenting himself at the 
point of attack in such warlike array, that it is 
questionable whether a line of forty sail of the 
enemy, would have been entirely safe from an as- 
sault, had they been there, 

" Here, he's boarding us on the starboard quar- 
ter !" again roared the captain. 

To prevent the consummation of this threaten- 
ing manoeuvre, the marines, in a solid phalanx, 
flew to the rescue, darting their bayonets over the 
starboard quarter gallery, in such threatening atti- 
tude, as held the enemy at momentary bay. Mean- 
while, the sailors tumbled down from the top 
gallant forecastle, heels over head, and thundering 
aft along the gangways in the most delightful con- 
fusion, arrived at the designated point, before the 
unyielding marines had been repelled one inch 
from their feeble, though resolute position. After 
a desperate hand to hand conflict of ten seconds, 
during which the ghosts of twice that number of 
McLeods, had ceased forever to haunt the shores 
of Virginia, the brave Fairfielders succeeded in 
driving the enemy beyond their reach, and falling 
quickly back on the quarter-deck, each man stood 
apart, puffing and blowing with the noise of an 
half exhausted bellows. By this time the enemy, 
who persisted in being invisible to all eyes except 





Five Years Before the Mast. 269 

those of the commander, was compelled to resort 
once more to his guns ; and the captain, believing 
that a well directed broadside would now finish 
him, ordered it to be poured into him with a will. 
The panting but unflinching crew rushed once 
more to the guns ; for an instant the heavy shot 
were heard rumbling down their iron throats, and 
then a roar louder than the dread artillery of heaven 
burst from stem to stern of the brave Fairfield, 
enveloping her masts and rigging in a cloud of 
smoke. Victory danced on the banners of the 
Yankees. It was all up with the old hogsheads. 
They raised their venerable bottoms towards the 
heavens in dying despair, and then sank slowly 
beneath the silent waters, never to rise again. 

The battle over, we were all called aft on the 
quarter-deck, where the captain addressed us in a 
glowing speech, burning with the most sparkling 
fires of patriotism. He alluded, with touching 
emphasis, to the sturdy bravery of our revolu- 
tionary fathers, the bright and unexampled career 
of Washington, the energetic calmness of Hull, 
and the indomitable courage of Decatur. Nor did 
he, in his review of American braves, pass unno- 
ticed the bright names that cast their light over 
the histories of other nations. The achievements 
of Rodney, the conquests of Howe, the exploits 
of Duncan, and the world-renowned victories of 
Nelson, were all in turn dwelt upon with moving 
eloquence, and finally the whole catalogue of glori- 
23* 



270 Five Years Before the Mast. 

ous names, was happily trumped home with that of 
the Dutch admiral, Von Tromp. The speech told 
with wonderful effect on the sailors, who from 
time to time evinced their approbation, by repeated 
" hurrahs," and when the captain finally concluded 
the best part of it, which consisted of an order for 
five gallons of whiskey to be divided among the 
crew, under the technical name of " splicing the 
main brace," all hands threw up their hats in a 
perfect blaze of enthusiasm, and gave three such 
deafening cheers, that a landsman would have sup- 
posed them flushed with a victory of having 
thrashed a fleet of forty English frigates. 

With amusements of this description, we con- 
tinued to entertain ourselves while we remained at 
Hampton Roads. To the officers, they were per- 
haps, capital fun, and the captain seemed to enjoy 
them with peculiar satisfaction ; but in general 
they were most heartily detested by the majority 
of the men, who looked upon them as so much 
labor and exertion thrown away on a profitless 
issue. There was not a sailor among them but 
would rather have grappled hand to hand with the 
most daring enemy, than toil and sweat amid the 
labors of a phantom conflict. They were also 
conscious that these exercises were of but little 
benefit to the government as well as to themselves. 
Powder and shot could not be procured by the 
government without money, and to waste them 
uselessly was like throwing cash out of the port- 



Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 271 

holes into the sea. The McLeod war on the Fair- 
field alone, must have cost the government a snug 
little sum of money, as the quantity of amunition 
consumed by us during the two months we lay at 
Hampton Roads, amounted to near three thousand 
pounds of powder, and some eight thousand pounds 
of round shot, all of which was sent to "Davy 
Jones' Locker," in the waters of the. Roadstead. 

While these occurrences were transpiring in 
Virginia, a scene of a different nature, but equally 
singular in character, was being enacted in another 
portion of the world. It happened that a rumor 
of the anticipated war with England had found its 
way to the Mediterranean sea. There were several 
British steamers just then cruising on those waters, 
and the idea of having a brush with Brother Jona- 
tean, putting mischief into the head of one of 
them, caused her to look with a hungry eye at the 
gridiron banner of the American frigate Brandy- 
wine. Now, whether it was that the British stea- 
mer actually fired at the Brandywine, or whether 
she only intended to fire, or whether Commodore 
Bolton only thought she was going to fire, are 
questions which circumstances have rendered so 
mysterious that I will not try to decipher them. 
It is sufficient for the reader to know that some- 
thing was done to the alarm of the American ves- 
sel, for she secretly slipped from her moorings, and 
snuffing the western gale, put out of the gut of 
Gibraltar with all her might, as if the old boy had 



272 Five Years Before the Mast. 

kicked her ashore, and kept pitching and tossing 
across the Atlantic ocean with such unconquerable 
velocity that Commodore Bolton, with his whole 
crew, found himself entirely unable to bring her 
to a halt until she had run almost totally aground 
in the harbor of New York. 

It is impossible for me to describe the conster- 
nation of the general government, on hearing of 
their Mediterranean commander having been run 
away with by the frigate Brandywine, and that, too, 
at a time when the interests of the country par- 
ticularly required his presence on that station. A 
general surprise also arose in New York city, 
where the occurrence was freely commented on 
and discussed among the people. Some presumed 
to question whether the Brandywine was as blama- 
ble for having deserted her post, as her commander, 
while others, with much more boldness and effron- 
tery, even ventured to speak in terms of derision 
of the commodore's valor, as smacking too much 
of the Falstaff kind to stand the test of emergency. 
For my own part, however, I do not wish to be 
understood as endorsing any of these popular 
notions in respect to the worthy officer in question, 
for as Commodore Morgan subsequently observed, 
" It is hardly fair to hold an officer responsible to 
the populace, in errors of conduct, for which he is 
at all times amenable alone to the judgment and 
censure of the general government." 

However, as a consequential result of this unex- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 273 

pected nature of the Brandywine, Commodore Bol- 
ton was suspended from the command in the Medi- 
terranean, until a court of inquiry could be con- 
vened to examine into the merits of his conduct. 
In the meanwhile it was necessary that the Bran- 
" dywine should return to her former station, and 
orders were accordingly issued for her to proceed 
immediately thither, in charge of Captain Guy- 
singer. The command of the squadron was soon 
after tendered to Commodore Morgan, who accepted 
the appointment, and the sloop of war Fairfield, 
was detatched from the Brazilian squadron to carry 
him to his field of operations. 

Pending the time of Commodore Morgan's ap- 
pearance at Norfolk, our vessel was transmoored 
near to that place, and in close proximity to the 
ship of the line, Pennsylvania. We had frequent 
intercourse with the men of the Pennsylvania, 
many of whom expressed a strong desire to quit 
their stationary mammoth residence for an active 
sea-going ship. As many of these men had three 
years to serve, and myself but eight months, I 
thought an exchange might be made to the advan- 
tage of some one else, as well as to myself, for I 
conceived it an act of folly, on the part of the 
government, to send me abroad on a foreign mis- 
sion for so short a period. With permission of the 
first lieutenant, I ventured to break the subject to 
the captain, who showed but little inclination, 
however, to assent to the arrangement. I per- 



274 Five Years Before the Mast. 

sisted in my claims, until he began to betray 
symptoms of impatience. 

" Where did you ship ?" demanded he, when I 
had related my story. 

" On the coast of Brazil, in the Independence," 
answered I. 

" Is there any one else in this ship who served 
in the Independence ?" 

"Yes, sir," said I, "there's Hull, the quarter- 
master, was in the same ship with me." 

"Hull," proceeded the captain; "what kind of 
a character did this man sustain in the Indepen- 
dence ?' 

" Very good, sir," answered Hull, touching his 
hat. " He had but one serious fault, and that is 
he wouldn't drink grog with the rest of the ship's 
company." 

" That's an offence that can be overlooked," 
said the captain, smiling. "I never flog a man 
for refusing to get drunk. Mr. Edgar, this way if 
you please," added he, calling to the boatswain, 
who was backing and filling on the top-gallant fore- 
castle. Mr. Edgar walked aft. 

"You are from the Columbus, I believe," said 
the captain, addressing him. 

"Yes sir." 

" What sort of a character did this man bear in 
the Columbus?" asked the captain, nodding to- 
wards me. 

" Jam up," replied the boatswain, looking first 



Five Years Before the Mast. 275 

at Captain Tattnall, and then at me. "He was 
considered one of the best men in the ship." 

" That will do," said the captain, dismissing the 
boatswain ; and turning to me he added : " You 
see now how it is. I have gone to the pains of 
drilling this ship's company, until nearly every 
man can knock the head out of a hogshead at a 
long shot, and now you would have me exchange 
my best men for some raw recruits, who know 
nothing of handling a rammer or sighting a gun. 
No, no. I hope I shall be more careful of the 
interests of the service than that. I would not 
part company with you for two raw hands ; the 
Mediterranean squadron would be altogether im- 
perfect without you." 

"Well, Captain Tattnall," said I, not a little 
provoked at this tantalizing speech, " I give you 
fair warning that as soon as my remaining seven 
months service expire, I will quit the navy, let me 
be in what portion of the world I will." 

"There is a law," observed Captain Tattnall, 
" empowering commanders of vessels to retain the 
services of those men whose times have expired, as 
long as they may deem such service essential to the 
public good, and by that law I can detain you at 
my discretion." 

" True, sir," you may perhaps detain me, but 
you cannot compel me to labor. I shall refuse 
duty as soon as my time expires." 

" See there ; do you see that ?" said the captain. 



276 Five Years Before the Mast. 

pointing to the stars and stripes that floated at the 
mizzen peak. 

" Yes, sir," replied I, touching my hat. 

" Well, so long as you are under that, you will 
have to submit to the laws and regulations that 
govern the service ; and if you do not, or dare to 
turn even a finger in opposition to them, there is a 
summary way of fetching you up with a round 
turn of the cat-o'-nine tails ; do you understand 
that r 

" Yes, sir, perfectly well," replied I. 

" Well, then, go forward to your duty ; govern 
yourself accordingly, and let me hear no more of 
exchanges." 

With a bosom palpitating with vexation and dis- 
appointment, I repaired to the berth deck to brood 
over my ill success, and to console my thoughts with 
the first mischief that presented itself. Here a 
letter was handed to me from an old associate in 
the Columbus, to whom I had written shortly after 
our arrival at Hampton Koads. I opened it, and 
for a while forgot the defeat of my project of 
exchange in the perusal of its contents. 

U. S. Ship Columbus, 

Boston Harbor, July 5th, 1841. 

Dear Sir : — I received your letter of the 30th 

of May, after it had lain in the post-office nearly a 

month. I am very glad to hear that you are in 

the enjoyment of good health, and I am at a loss 



Five Years Before the Mast. 277 

to know why you was disrated to ordinary seaman. 
However, I suppose they thought to intimidate 
you sufficiently to answer their purpose, and if 
possible, cause you to re-enter for the Fairfield's 
cruise ; but if you comply with their wishes, you 
will lose a great deal in the opinion of myself and 
a host of friends, who expect far better things of 
you. I know that it will take more than a bois- 
terous bully to frighten you, but recollect I do not 
say that your captain is such a man, although I 
have been almost led to think so from the reports 
of some of my old shipmates now on board the 
Fairfield. 

I think you a singularly unfortunate fellow in 
being transferred from ship to ship, incessantly, 
during your unjust detention. If the department 
think to obtain men for the navy, in this way, 
they will find themselves very much mistaken, for 
the treatment is too harsh altogether, and the 
commanders of ships are licensed with arbitrary 
power, which they exercise in the highest degree — 
in fact they assume, and use, and abuse more 
power than the president of this great republic 
dare think of exercising, or presume to hold, or 
expect ; they break their word every hour in the 
day and seem to think they are doing it for the 
good of the service, whereas they are only driving 
men away from the navy. Had I been treated as 
some good men have, I think I should have made 
holes in some blue coats, for my temper is so easily 

24 



278 Five Years Before the Mast. 

tip, that I should dread the consequences of any 
thing like.severe tyranny or injustice. 

Captain Smith opened his heart a short time 
ago, and actually had the Jcitidness to rate me 
ordinary seamen, after my having lost chances in 
several seagoing ships from this port, in which I 
would have been well paid. However, my time is 
growing short in the service, and when I am dis- 
charged, should I live nine hundred and ninety- 
nine years, and all that time fed upon bread and 
water, I will never enter the navy again. What- 
ever I may think of the treatment I have received, 
it shall rest in my own breast until I see a fitting 
opportunity for an explosion, and then I will spare 
no one that has had a share in any villainous 
actions that have come under my notice. 

Please give my kindest regards to Brown, Swain, 
Frost, Burce, and all the rest, and tell them I shall 
be glad to hear from them at any time. Davis, 
Wheeler, Clark, and a host of others, send you 
their best wishes. 

Pray let me hear from you on the first opportu- 
nity, as I shall be glad to learn if you go in the 
Fairfield or not. I trust you will remain at Nor- 
folk, and when you are discharged, I am convinced 
you will have the good sense not only to take care 
of your money, but> to make the best use of your 
time. I assure you, I have been so much vexed of 
late, that I care not how things go. When once 
free, the service may go to the — you know where. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 279 

Trusting that you may continue to enjoy good 
health, and that you will not re-enter, 
I remain, dear sir, 

Yours, very truly, 

W. Stuart, 

It is an old saying, that misery loves company, 
and though, in general, I never felt any particular 
satisfaction in seeing others distressed when I was, 
yet in brooding over the contents of this letter, I 
must confess that I drew more than one consoling 
thought from the reflection that I was not the only 
man in the service, who was heartily sick of it- I 
folded up the letter, and laying it aside for future 
perusal, returned to my duty with the resignation 
of a philosopher. For a subsequent week, my 
time was actively spent in boats plying to and 
from the Gossport navy yard. During this period, 
water, provisions, and whiskey, were conveyed on 
board the ship, as well as the commodore's stores. 
By the 26th of July, every arrangement was com- 
pleted for the commencement of our voyage, and 
we only awaited the presence of the commodore, 
to weigh anchor. On the 28th, we were greeted 
with the appearance of the commander-in-chief, 
and immediately setting all sail, we passed down 
Hampton Koads with a salute to the Delaware, 
and in four hours after, were tossing and heaving 
on the broad bosom of the blue Atlantic. 



61|^f)ieir §lxfee01|. 



Voyage to Gibraltar. 

In general there is little to cheer the heart in a 
long sea voyage. There are no passing objects 
aside from an occasional storm, or strange sail, to 
arrest the attention of the ocean traveller. From 
day to day the restless eye wanders its accustomed 
round over the trackless waters, to be only relieved 
at times from the monotonous scene, by a wander- 
ing albicore or breaching porpoise. The duties of 
to-day are the duties of to-morrow, and when the 
bright sun, at each declining day, shields his glit- 
tering face behind the western ocean, there is no 
golden landscape on which the weary wanderer 
may mark the extent of his last day's journey. 
But merrily onward bounds the ship day and night, 
over the silent waste, carrying its load of beating 
hearts far from home, from friends and native 
land — never, perhaps, to meet again. 

"Aye! never, perhaps, to meet again;" so 
thought I, the fourth night after our departure 
from Hampton Koais. It was in the first hour 
of the mid-watch. I had stretched myself to rest 
between two of the forward guns, while the ship 
was scudding along under an easy western breeze. 
(280) 



Five Years Before the Mast. 281 

The moon was abroad in the heavens, and cast a 
glimmering light across the sea, and over as much 
of the ship's deck as was not sheltered from his 
rays by the press of canvass above. Some twenty 
men were strewed around, their noses keeping time 
in strange harmony with the music of their dreams. 
I could not sleep. The truth is, I had fallen into 
one of my melancholy fits, and whenever one of 
these was upon me, I became strangely moved 
with gloomy thoughts and mysterious forebodings. 
The prospect of war was, in the present instance, 
before me, together with all its turmoil of battles, 
captures, and prisoners ; and as my fancy pursued 
its unhappy train of images, the motionless faces 
of the men around me began to assume the pallid 
hue of death. I was at length startled at my own 
conceits, and sought to soften down my thoughts 
by recalling to memory more pleasing associations. 
Then recurred the recollections of home — of my 
mother — of a thousand other things connected 
with my earlier life, upon which my heart became 
melted, and I indulged a while in tears. My 
weeping affording me some relief, I counted up my 
speculations of sorrow in a grand sum total, and 
in looking over the items, I came to the sort of 
double conclusion, that in one way I was a darned 
fool, and in the other, that I must certainly be the 
only miserable wretch in the ship. 

At this junction my ear was saluted with what 
I conceived to be the blowing of a porpoise under 
24* 



282 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the larboard bow, and on thrusting my head 
through one of the bow-ports, to ascertain whether 
it were within reach of a gig, my cheek came sud- 
denly in contact with that of Mr. J. M. Turner, who 
was sitting quietly in the fore channels. His face 
was bathed in tears, and his eyes were fixed on the 
distant moon, as if in contemplation of some loved 
image in her silvery orb. 

Now the reader may perhaps be desirous of 
knowing who Mr. J. M. Turner was, and why he 
was weeping. I will endeavor to set his mind at 
rest in respect to the first question, by stating that 
Mr, Turner was a youth of some sixteen years of 
age, who held the rank of midshipman on board the 
Fairfield. But before I can satisfactorily dispose 
of the second question, it will be necessary first to 
note who midshipmen are, what they are, and how 
they are made. 

In respect to the first of these inquiries I may 
observe, that midshipmen are usually the progeny 
of naval captains and members of naval bureaus — 
of United States senators — of members and ex- 
members of congress — and of other great men 
holding high seats in the synagogue of govern- 
ment. Indeed the patronage of the navy has been 
limited with such scrupulous care to the children 
of the great men of our land, that precedent alone, 
if no other usage, would exclude from the official 
list the son of a commoner. The consequence of 
this is, that midshipmen commonly look upon them- 



Five Teaks Before the Mast. 283 

selves as being somebody. Much regard is paid 
among them to birth, and their characters and 
abilities are too often weighed, by even their supe- 
riors, in proportion to the positions occupied by 
their fathers in government and society. Hence 
their very messes become seasoned with a strong 
smell of aristocracy, and a boy of humble parentage 
shoved suddenly in the steerage of a ship among 
them, w T ould meet with about the same favor at 
their hands as a toad thrown into a den of 
vipers. 

As to what midshipmen are, it may be noted, 
that though nothing in common can exist between 
them and the sailors as a class, yet they form a 
sort of connecting link between the official and 
subordinate portion of a ship's company. Their 
duty is to muster the watches, to run errands, to 
carry orders and messages, to command the boats 
when absent on duty, and to keep a general watch 
and supervision over the movements of the men. 
They are at sea something near what constables 
are on land — the summoners, reporters and inform- 
ers, while their superiors may be styled the execu- 
tioners, of the law. Though in general they are 
looked upon with contempt by the men, yet the 
laws protect them from insult. They may abuse, 
if they please, any man of the ship's company with 
impunity, as the object of their dislike can obtain 
redress in no other way than by an appeal to the 
captain, and the captain never punishes a, gentle- 



284 Five Years Before the Mast. 

man further than by a gentle reprimand. If a 
sailor resist the assault of a young gentleman, he 
does it at the risk of his life ; for one of the arti- 
cles of war reads : " If any man shall strike, or 
offer to strike, his superior officer, he shall suffer 
death, or such other punishment as a court-martial 
shall inflict.' ' When the reader takes into careful 
consideration the scope which such laws must neces- 
sarily give to the genius of a young aristocrat, 
seventeen years of age ; and when he, moreover, 
reflects that such boys are usually the worst 
spoiled children in the world, from the over-indul- 
gence of parents, he will have no great difficulty in 
arriving at a proper estimate of what midshipmen 
are. 

As to the question of how midshipmen are made, 
the query may perhaps be best illustrated to the 
reader by an individual character, and having one 
just now in my eye, I will proceed with it in 
detail. 

A gentleman senator from V has a prom- 
ising son to dispose of — a bright ingenious youth, 
who, by becoming ungovernable at home, has shown 
the very qualifications necessary to govern a ship's 
company. The senator determines at once to fix 
the destiny of his boy in the navy. He suggests 
his wishes to the President of the United States. 
The President, appreciating the weight of the hon- 
orable senator's influence in the political scales, 
hints the name of the boy to the honorable Secre- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 285 

tary of the Navy. The honorable secretary, desi- 
rous of " killing two birds with one stone," by 
gratifying the wishes of both the President and the 
senator, places a midshipman's warrant in the 
pocket of the boy, and sends him off to New York, 
or Boston, where the lad steps on board a national 
ship, an independent midshipman. 

Though only fifteen years of age at his entrance 
into the service, the young gentleman now begins 
to take what is technically called " a great swell." 
He begins, too, to taste the benefits of office. He 
had before to content himself with the few crumbs 
of cash that fell occasionally from his father's 
purse, but now he finds himself in the clear pos- 
session of four hundred dollars per annum. What- 
ever he had previously learned by way of education 
he has now in a measure to unlearn ; and like a 
newly caught monkey, fresh from the coast of 
Africa, he soon begins to mimic the motions of his 
master, the captain. Occasionally he looks into 
"Bowditch's Navigator," keeps a kind of off-hand 
journal, which he mostly copies from the log-book 
of the ship, and when the weather will permit, takes 
a squint at the sun through the glass of a quad- 
rant. These pursuits constitute the severest por- 
tion of his probationary studies. At the end of five 
years the government discovers that it has sacri- 
ficed two thousand dollars, and realized a — mid- 
shipman. 

The probationary term over, our youthful ad- 



286 Five Years Before the Mast. 

venturer is next called before a committe appointed 
by government to test his mathematical abilities* 
and to examine his qualifications in seamanship. 
Here he has a vast and difficult series of questions 
propounded to him. Such as, " How much oakum 
will it take to caulk a ship ? How would you ease 
a ship in case she griped ? How would you tack a 
ship without a wind ? How many anchors will it 
take to hold a ship in a hurricane ?" If these 
questions be satisfactorily answered by the young 
gentleman, some of the more knowing members 
of the board will suggest the more puzzling query 
of " How much headway, per hour, will a ship 
make against a ten knot current with a ten knot 
breeze, provided she have all her sails set?" And 
if the middy overcome this knotty difficulty, the 
board become satisfied of his professional skill, and 
unanimously agree to shove him up one step on the 
ladder of promotion, while the government, in 
recompense of the valuable services rendered the 
nation in solving these questions, place an addi- 
tional two hundred dollars at his annual disposal. 
This, gentle reader, is a brief history of the process 
by which all naval officers are usually manufac- 
tured. 

Well, it may be asked, was Mr. Turner one of 
of this aristocratic class of young gentlemen ? I 
answer no. I have already stated in a former 
chapter that one midshipman was to be annually 
selected from among the most exemplary boys on 



Five Years Before the Mast. 287 

each school ship. Mr. Turner, or rather master 
Turner, was one of those boys whose surpassing 
scholarship and behavior had secured him this 
mark of distinction from the general government. 
He had been a bound boy in the North Carolina, 
at New York ; and what rendered him an object 
of additional interest to a benevolent mind, was 
the circumstance of being an orphan child. Every 
man doubtless feels a certain degree of satisfaction 
in gaining the object of his ambition, and young 
Turner had a double reason for being satisfied with 
himself, inasmuch as he owed his advancement to 
his own merits, instead of the kindness and inter- 
cession of influential friends and demagogues. He 
entered upon the discharge of the duties of his 
appointment with a pride peculiar to his age, and 
might have proceeded happily in his new career, 
had not the devil, who always seems busying him- 
self most with the virtuous, contrived it other- 
wise. 

I am scarce philosopher enough to analyze the 
elements of aristocracy, and tell the exact essences 
of which it is composed. It may be a principle 
inherent in wealth, pride, and their attendant 
properties, or it may be a contagion, which like 
other vile diseases, finds its way to the fountains 
of honor and trust, poisoning the hearts of the few 
against the friendly communion of those many who 
bask less favorably than themselves in the smiles 
of fortune. But whether a disease or not, it has 



288 Five Years Beeoke the Mast. 

certainly the character of being infectious, for the 
congressman who to-day is all friendship and kind- 
ness, will to-morrow turn up his nose at his humble 
constituent, should he meet him at Washington. 
Such being the case, it becomes each good citizen 
to use every nostrum to prevent its spread, for it is 
not only an enemy to the laboring portion of 
society, but to the body politic of our republican 
structure. If not happily arrested, it will even- 
tually insinuate its virulent poison into the consti- 
tution itself, and sapping every fibre of its pristine 
strength, send it withered and consumpted to an 
untimely grave. 

That it was an enemy to at least one American 
heart, the youthful Turner was already prepared to 
testify. What business had the plebeian midship- 
man to thrust his nose into companionship with 
those of the sons of members of Congress ? It was 
an insult to the uniform, a disgrace to the service. 
The New York washerwoman's son, he who was 
unable to buy his own outfit, but obtained it from 
the charity of a friend, a common beggar, a 'pren- 
tice, a bound boy, to stick himself up among pat- 
rician midshipmen for a gentleman! " Oh ! it's 
horrible!" cried they. "It's a scandal! Let's 
enter into a conspiracy ; let's kick him out of the 
steerage !" And kick him out they did ; and 
the poor orphan boy, having no one in the ship 
with whom to share his sorrows, crept silently 
away into the fore channels, and poured out the 



Five Years Before the Mast. 289 

feelings of his heart in bitter tears to the distant 
moon. 

The young fellow was very much startled at the 
unexpected appearance of my head through the 
port-hole, but on meeting with a word of encour- 
agement from me, kept his seat. Jumping on a 
gun, I clambered over the hammock nettings, and 
slid down by his side. He soon forgot his tears 
in listening to my conversation. We remained 
together till the close of the watch. He then 
returned to the steerage, w T here he hoped to enjoy 
a brief rest while his patrician enemies were 
asleep. 

From the discourse of Turner, I was led to infer 
that his present position was one of the most pain- 
ful and trying that a boy could possibly occupy. 
His midshipman's warrant, which had at first awa- 
kened such pleasing anticipations in his fancy, was 
now in reality become a source of torment to him. 
It had given him an additional importance in the 
estimation of the officers, while at the same time it 
cut him off from the society of his former associ- 
ates. Discipline had interposed a bar between him 
and the other boys of the ship's company, beyond 
which it became him not to pass. His only chance, 
then, for social converse, was among his own mess- 
mates of the steerage ; and these, as we have 
already seen, were in open hostility against him. 
He was, therefore, a lone boy among a ship's crew 
of over two hundred souls. When I reflected on 
25 



290 Five Years Before the Mast. 

his situation, and compared it with my own, I 
thought the world had not yet treated me with all 
the harshness of which it was capable. I pitied 
him, and determined while I remained in the ship, 
to do all I could to lighten the burden of his 
sorrows. 

The day following these events, a messenger- 
boy brought me word that I was wanted in the 
ward-room. What proceedings could require my 
presence in such a forbidden part of the ship, was 
to me a deep mystery. Thinks I to myself, I 
will solve it at all events, and proceeding thither, 
I found Mr. Lannier, the sailing master, sitting at 
the table with the ship's log before him. 

" What sort of a hand do you write ?" said he, 
addressing me as I entered. 

" Not a very extra one," answered I. 

" Give me an example," continued he, shoving 
a piece of paper towards me. 

Picking up the pen, I wrote the name of the 
ship, and handed it to him. He looked at it, and 
said it would do. I was then told that after that 
day it would be my duty to write the log-book, for 
which service I should receive extra pay, and that 
he would have me excused from my daily trick at 
the helm, that I might be enabled to do it without 
interruption. 

I should, perhaps, observe that the writing of 
the log-book was properly a portion of the duties 
belonging to the master's mate. But Mr. Tripp 



Five Years Before the Mast. 291 

was, unfortunately, as deficient in penmanship and 
mathematics, as he was in the recollection of his 
former shipmates. For instance, if twenty-one 
thousand gallons of water were taken on board the 
Fairfield on Monday, and on Tuesday three hun- 
dred and sixty-two gallons of this quantity were 
- expended, to tell what quantity still remained on 
hand, was a problem entirely too deep for Mr. 
Tripp's powers of solution. 

In fact it was an unfathomable mystery to me, 
all the time I remained in the Fairfield, how Mr. 
Tripp ever became master's-mate at all. He had 
been in the Independence very little over a year 
after her departure from Boston, in 1837, when he 
ran away from her at Buenos Ayres. After a 
residence of some two months in the Spanish colo- 
nies, he was apprehended by some of the natives 
and brought back to the ship. Commodore Nich- 
olson paid the money for his arrest out of Tripp's 
own wages, and added thirty-six lashes with the 
cat-o'-nine-tails to his account, as an offset for 
having taken French leave. He was discharged at 
New York, with the rest of his shipmates, without 
any award of honor ; and I was the more surpri- 
sed to find him in the situation of master's mate, 
from the fact that he owed the distinction to neither 
his abilities nor his merits. 

Early in August we drew into the vicinity of the 
Western Isles, and passed within view of Fayal 
and Pico. We there bent our course in a south- 



292 Five Years Before the Mast. 

easterly direction, and after about a week's run, 
anchored in front of the castle of Funchal, at the 
Island of Madeira. 

I am unable to say why the Commodore stopped 
at this place, uriless it was for the purpose of let- 
ting the apprentice boys have a run on shore ; and 
this had better not have been done, for they all got 
drunk before they were on shore six hours, and nine 
days afterwards, seven of the ten, were placed 
under the hands of the surgeon to be cured of ve- 
nerial diseases. But then we had grapes and 
oranges of an excellent quality, and at prices so 
low that all hands were enabled to buy ; and this 
more than compensated for the inconvenience we 
experienced from drunken and diseased boys. 

Madeira is an island of considerable note in the 
wine trade. It belongs to the Portuguese govern- 
ment, and lies about six hundred miles southeast 
from that country. The general features of the 
island are of a volcanic cast. The surface of the 
country is broken and uneven, shooting up, in 
places, into irregular ridges, and abrupt peaks, and 
terminating along the shores in rocky ledges and 
precipices of frightful height. Funchal, the capi- 
tal, is situated at the foot of a mountain near the 
sea, and contains a population of near twenty thou- 
sand inhabitants. The harbor is a very poor one, 
and ships anchoring in it, are never secure from 
being cast away during stormy weather. 

During the few days that we remained here, we 



Five Years Befobe the Mast. 293 

had an opportunity of seeing some of the ladies of 
Funchal, who did us the honor of visiting the ship, 
but much as I regret to say it, it would perhaps 
have been as creditable to womankind and man- 
kind too, had some of them stayed on shore. It 
would be very unfair to form an estimate of the 
society of any town or country, from the manners 
of a few individuals selected from among its inhab- 
itants, and therefore I will be charitable in my 
censures of the citizens of Madeira. There are 
doubtless many worthy and benevolent families of 
the Island, the numbers of which, both male and 
female, might be upheld to the world as examples 
of purity and excellence. 

The commodore, having gratified his curiosity in 
respect to the Island by a short sojourn among its 
inhabitants, reappeared on board the ship at the 
end of four days, upon which we again bent our 
course to seaward, and bore away in the direction 
of Gibraltar. 

It was on the second night after our departure 
from Madeira, that Mr. Turner and I had seated 
ourselves to a mental discourse under the topgallant 
forecastle. There was something so pleasing to the 
heart of the young midshipman in having one asso- 
ciate to whom he could unbosom himself, and in 
whose friendship he could find a consolation for his 
sorrows, that he hailed these stolen interviews as 
the only bright hours of his official life. Our inti- 
macy had already been noticed by some of his 
25* 



294 Five Years Before the Mast. 

steerage companions, who had more than likely 
hinted the circumstance to the first lieutenant. 
But whether they had or not, Mr. Whittle in the 
present instance, appeared very unexpectedly on 
the forecastle, and in a peremptory tone ordered Mr. 
Turner to, what he was pleased to designate, a more 
appropriate part of the ship for young gentlemen. 
Mr. Turner immediately rose and departed, while 
the first lieutenant favored me with a look of such 
exquisite blackness, as betokened, if not a clouded 
mind, one at least burning with angry and malig- 
nant thoughts. But conscious of no wrong, I re- 
mained seated, and met his gaze with a quiet, though 
unshrinking look. 

On the morning following this incident an order 
was passed through the ship for all the men to 
scrub their hammocks. It happened that the 
painters in painting the hammock-nettings the day 
before we anchored at Funchal, had accidentally 
daubed a little black paint on my hammock and 
finding that salt water would not remove the spot, 
I was obliged to hang it on the lines with the stain 
still visible. In the afternoon, when the lines were 
lowered down, and the men ordered to pass round 
the capstan with their hammocks for inspection, the 
first lieutenant fixed his eye upon mine with an 
indignant look, and pointing to the spot, asked me 
how I dared venture to pass such a hammock. . I 
endeavored to explain, but without hearing my ex- 
cuse, he ordered me to stand aside until the rest 



Five Years "Before the Mast. 295 

had passed. I observed several other hammocks in 
the crowd which were in a predicament similar to 
my own, but which were all permitted to pass un- 
challenged. 

As soon as the inspection was over, Mr. Boyle, 
the second lieutenant, approached Mr. Whittle and 
inquired his objections for refusing to pass my 
hammock; but the first lieutenant, without making 
any reply, ordered a boatswain's mate to be sent 
aft. The humble petty officer soon made his ap- 
pearance at the mainmast, when the first lieutenant, 
addressing himself to me, pointed to one of the 
waist guns. 

, " Stand up there, you paint-dealing rascal I" said 
he. " I will learn you how to present a dirty ham- 
mock at muster." 

I took my stand at the breech of the gun with- 
out a murmur, at which he nodded to the boat- 
swain's mate, who immediately drew his colt from 
his hat, and coiling one end of it round his hand, 
commenced laying over my back so soundly that I 
almost fainted with the pain. At the twelfth blow 
he was ordered to stop, when I instantly took up 
my bed and walked. Mr. Boyle stood leaning 
against the capstan, where he had watched the 
whole proceedings with a look half laughing, half 
indignant. 

"What is the misunderstanding between you 
and the first lieutenant ?" said Mr. Boyle, encoun- 



296 Five Years Before the Mast* 

tering me one hour after the foregoing occur- 
rence. 

"I am not conscious of any difficulty existing 
between us," answered I. 

"You certainly must have offended him in some 
way, else he would hardly have flogged you as he 
did." 

"I know not how I can have done it, then, 5 ' re- 
turned I, " unless Mr. Turner's partiality for my 
company have incurred his displeasure." 

" Well, displeasure or no displeasure," observed 
Mr. Boyle, " I should have to be put most wretch- 
edly to my shifts before I would spit out my spite 
on a foremast hand," and with a good natured 
smile, the fat old lieutenant rolled aft to the quarter 
deck. 

It is remarkable what an effect one sympathizing 
word will often produce on a mind smarting under 
a sense of injustice or ill treatment. There was 
nothing in common existing between Mr. Boyle 
and myself; he had never before spoken to me 
except in the routine of duty, and even then, in a 
tone of voice wholly destitute of partiality or favor. 
To hear him, then, thus openly expressing himself 
in disapprobation of the conduct of his brother 
officer, was both pleasing and unexpected, and 
awakened in my bosom feelings of a most grateful 
character. I now persuaded myself that I had a 
friend of influence in a part of the ship where I 
least expected to find one, but where it was, never- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 297 

theless, extremely desirable to have one ; for though 
he might not have the power to openly counteract 
the flogging orders of the first lieutenant, yet his 
position in the ship was such as might go far to- 
wards restraining him within certain bounds of 
moderation. My bosom immediately warmed to- 
wards him with friendly sensations, which from 
day to day strengthened themselves to such an 
extent, that by the time we arrived at Gibraltar 
there was no possible privation or danger I would 
not have cheerfully encountered for the preserva- 
tion and safety of Junius J. Boyle. 

Early in September we bore up into the harbor 
of Gibraltar, and dropped our anchor in the midst 
of a fleet of English line of battle-ships. There 
appeared to be something peculiarly daring in run- 
ning thus boldly into the very teeth of so imposing 
an array of British batteries ; and that, too, at a 
time when the question of war was still agitating 
both governments ; and when the guns of the 
little Fairfield finally opened their throats to the 
salute of the British flag, there was a still wilder 
feeling of animation in listening to the thunder of 
American cannon rolling along the neighboring 
shores of Spain, and reverberating from crag to 
crag of the world-renowned fortress before us. 

Gibraltar is situated at the north-eastern extre- 
mity of the strait forming the entrance to the 
Mediterranean. It is a bold, craggy rock, rising 
abruptly from the water to an elevation of near 



298 Five Years Before the Mast. 

fifteen hundred feet. It is near three miles in 
length, and about half that distance in breadth. 
The whole forms a peninsula of the Spanish coast, 
washed on one side by the waters of the Mediter- 
ranean, and on the other by a beautiful bay, some 
fifteen miles in circumference, and large enough to 
give anchorage to a thousand ships. The whole 
extent of the eastern side is rendered unassailable 
by its perpendicular shape, but the western decli- 
vity terminates near the water in a gently sloping 
plain, along which is situated the town, as well as 
the most important portion of the fortifications. 
The northern projection, which forms an abrupt 
ledge overhanging a low flat strip of land, is pene- 
trated in various directions by stupendous excava- 
tions, the loop-holes of each chamber presenting 
guns of immense calibre, and overlooking the ad- 
joining Spanish territories with most threatening 
aspect. The narrow strip of ground, stretching 
like an isthmus between the rock and the main 
land, is occupied at fixed points by lines of English 
and Spanish sentries. The two posts are near 
half a mile asunder, and the intervening space is 
designated the neutral ground. The scenery of the 
surrounding country is delightful and picturesque, 
being romantically diversified with every variety of 
hill, dale, mountain, rock and sea. 

The fortifications contain but one public entrance, 
which opens through a massive gate in the walls, 
guarding the north-eastern extremity of the rock. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 299 

It is daily thrown wide to the market people of the 
neighboring villages, but strangers are prohibited 
from passing the sentries, without an order legally 
signed by a proper officer. The town, containing 
some eighteen thousand inhabitants, is built with 
some display of taste and elegance along a spacious 
street, running parallel with the narrow plain along 
the western acclivity of the rock. It is a place of 
considerable commercial importance, and being 
destitute of duties, custom-houses and port charges, 
serves as a general mart for the traders and specu- 
lators of the Mediterranean. The low price of 
goods renders it also a favorite resort for smug- 
glers, who here load themselves with the linen and 
woollen fabrics of Britain, as well as the more fan- 
ciful productions of Paris and Lyons, and play a 
profitable game to themselves in defrauding the 
revenues of the various ports of both the adjacent 
continents. Here the eye of the traveller may 
see, parading the avenues of trade, men dressed in 
the costume of every nation, stretching along both 
shores of the Mediterranean, from the Atlantic to 
the Black Sea. The place is also frequently re- 
sorted to by American ships of war, the officers 
of which are here able to supply their necessary 
wants at a less outlay than elsewhere ; and Ameri- 
can Pursers, too often actuated with the desire of 
accumulating unjust gains, here fill their chests 
with English fabrics at a reduced cost, and pocket 
a golden harvest in forcing them upon the 



300 Five Years Before the Mast. 

humble seamen of the squadron at extortionate 
prices. 

During our stay at Gibraltar, none of the men 
were permitted to have leave of absence, and con- 
sequently we could have no further intercourse 
with the shore, than such as necessarily resulted 
from passing to and from the landing, in the boats. 
Most of the officers, however, in turn visited the 
fortress, while the commodere and captain, divided 
their hours between the British officers and the 
American consul. 

My own adventures embraced only a two hour's 
jaunt on board an English ship of the line, called 
the Rodney, where much to my surprise, I encoun- 
tered fourteen of my old shipmates of the Inde- 
pendence, and one of those men who had deserted 
from the Preble at Pictou. These sailors were all 
Englishmen by birth, who had returned home on 
being discharged from the American navy. They 
had exhausted their wages in extravagant carou- 
sals, and being unable, from scarcity of employ- 
ment, to obtain berths in the merchant service, 
determined to try a three year's enlistment in the 
royal navy. On asking one of them which ser- 
vice he liked best, the American or English, he 
expressed a preference for that of Britain. 

" For here," said he, " we meet with better 
usage, have as good rations, as much grog, a less 
amount of cat-o'-nine-tails, and can save as much 
money." 



Five Years Before the Mast. 301 

" How can you save as much money," inquired 
I, " when, as I am informed, you only get at the 
rate of eight-and-a-half dollars per month of our 
money, and in the Independence you received 
twelve I" 

" But we have here thirteen months in the year," 
observed he, somewhat exultingly. 

" True, but that will only be an item on your 
side of the balance," replied I. 

" Well, but there are several other items to be 
added/' continued the British sailor. " You pay 
the monthly sum of one dollar and forty cents for 
your tea and sugar, and have besides twenty cents 
per month deducted from your wages for hospital 
money, making in all, a yearly aggregate of twenty 
dollars, the payment of which we are exempted 
from ; for though we do not drink tea, as you do, 
we have, notwithstanding, our cocoa and sugar, and 
that is furnished us by government, as a portion of 
our rations." 

" But still," persevered I, determined to sustain 
the honor of the stripes • and stars to the last, 
" even your twenty dollars, and your extra month's 
pay, will scarcely square the difference." 

"You think so because you overlook another 
important item," said my opponent, with a smile. 

" What is that ?" asked I. 

" The item of clothing," replied he. " Clothing, 
at all times, is thirty per cent cheaper here than 
in the American navy. We save near fifteen dol- 

26 



802 Five Years Before the Mast. 

lars a year on woolen goods alone. Besides, here 
we are permitted to wear government slops at 
muster, as well as on duty, and this your officers 
would never allow. In the Independence nothing 
was ever considered good enough for a sailor to 
muster in, but superfine jackets and fancy cloth 
trowsers. When up the Baltic and at England, 
Lieutenant McKenzie would never permit a boat's 
crew to approach the shore unless they were dress- 
ed in fine blue cloth clothes and white stockings. 
You may think such fineries were entirely useless, 
and so thought we. Some of the men openly 
objected to buying them, and had their backs 
fleeced for their pains, and when they afterwards 
submitted to the purchase, they had their pockets 
fleeced by the purser. What then is the use of 
your big pay, if the men are again to be plundered 
out of it ? We know that you Americans brag 
a great deal about grand wages, grand ships, grand 
clothes and all that sort o' thing, but it's all hum- 
bug after all. Three years in the Independence 
has satisfied me that the pride of Yankee officers, 
and the avarice of Yankee pursers, renders your 
service one of no great shakes to the pockets of 
poor Jack, notwithstanding its big wages." 

However much I might have felt disposed to con- 
trovert such a sling from a foreigner unacquainted 
with the usages of our naval service, I fotmd my 
lips unexpectedly sealed against any reply to this 
statement of one whose experimental knowledge 



Five Years Before the Mast. 803 

of both navies, was more extensive than my own. 
Humiliating as was the picture he had presented, 
to an American mind, it was, doubtless, in some 
respects, a true one, and had in more than one 
instance been sustained by my own experience. I 
soon discovered that his views were sustained by 
all my former shipmates, then on board the Kod- 
ney ; and what was still more strange, two native 
Americans who had deserted from the Independ- 
ence on her visit to Portsmouth, England, and who 
were also in the Rodney, expressed opinions ad- 
verse to the service of Uncle Sam. Under such 
an amount of evidence, I ought, perhaps, to have 
assented to the superiority of John Bull, but still 
I did not. I felt too much native American pride 
to have submitted to the ipse dixit of twenty 
honest Englishmen, much less to the assertion of a 
few mercenary individuals who would the next day 
have entered some Mahometan service, could they 
have got on shore at Egypt or Constantinople. 

I observed, however, that the discourse of these 
men was making a remarkable impression on two 
Englishmen belonging to our boat. They spoke 
to each other in a low tone, accompanied with nods 
and winks ; and the mention of Commodore Nich- 
olson and the Preble, told very ^plainly, that the 
treatment they had received in the Yankee service 
was notf such as to prejudice them strongly in its 
favor. The truth is, the idea of desertion had 
taken sudden possession of their minds, and could 



304 Five Years Before the Mast. 

they just then have secreted themselves in the 
Rodney, or placed their feet on the neighboring 
beach, it is questionable whether the Fairfield 
would not have lost their services for ever. But as 
it was they were obliged to resume their seats in the 
boat and return home, though not without casting 
an occasional "longing, lingering look behind." 

The commander-in-chief, being desirous of join- 
ing the squadron at the earliest possible date, re- 
appeared on board at the end of five days, and the 
purser having completed the purchase of his stores, 
we hove up our anchor and stood out of the bay. 
Our next place of destination was the island ofj 
Minorca, lying near the middle of the Mediterra- 
nean, about five hundred miles in a north-easterly 
direction from Gibraltar. In consequence of a 
strong head wind blowing from the direction of the 
Levant, more than a week was consumed in this 
voyage. All obstacles of winds and storms being, 
however, eventually conquered, we entered the 
harbor of Port Mahon, near the latter part of 
September. Here we found the Brandywine and 
Preble, lying snugly at anchor. As soon as our 
ship was moored, the Commodore with his suite, 
took his departure for the Brandywine, which was 
henceforth to be regarded as the flag-ship of the 
squadron. 



£f)^f)fei* §ebe»|fee0^. 



In which the Adventurer, by interesting himself in a Mutiny, 
meets with rather rough treatment. 

Port Mahon is situated about four miles from 
the sea coast, on the Island of Minorca, or lesser 
of the Balearic Isles. The town, containing some 
twenty thousand inhabitants, has a neat and res- 
pectable appearance, and is beautifully located on 
the southwest side of a very fine bay. The en- 
trance to the harbor, though narrow, is unob- 
structed by either rocks or shoals, and when once 
in, the bay is so perfectly land-locked on all sides 
that vessels are never in danger of being wrecked, 
even from the most destructive tempests. This 
place was formerly occupied as a British naval 
station, but since the acquisition of Malta it has 
been abandoned by the English, and in turn become 
the rendezvous of the American naval forces. 
There is a small island in the middle of the bay, 
opposite to the town, on which are erected the 
naval buildings, all of which are under the control 
of the Americans, and occupied as store-houses, 
rigging-lofts, carpenter-shops, &c. 

The former presence of the English, and the 

(305) 



806 Five Years Before the Mast. 

continued intercourse of the Americans, have fa- 
miliarized many of the citizens with the English 
language ; but the common mass of the population, 
though most of them pique themselves on speak-ee 
de Inglese, utter nothing but a mongrel gibberish, 
which, to an ear unaccustomed to the sound, is for 
the most part unintelligible. The curse of the 
population, like that of Madeira, is extreme pov- 
erty; and they are still rendered the more dis- 
tressed by having constantly quartered on their 
slender means, from four to five thousand Spanish 
soldiers. The place is in a manner destitute of 
commerce and shipping of almost every kind, and 
hence but few resort to maritime life. Some do, 
however, find an uncertain employment in plying 
to and from Carthagena, and other Spanish ports 
on the shores of the Mediterranean. Mechanical 
employments yield so scant a return that those en- 
gaged in them are little better off than beggars, 
while agriculture is in so rude a state as scarcely 
to be known. Gardening comes in for a full share 
of attention, so far at least as the markets of the 
town are concerned, and on the vegetables thus 
raised, most of the inhabitants depend for a sub- 
sistence. The high price of meat renders it a 
luxury beyond the reach of the common mass, 
who, on the least failure of the fisheries, or from a 
scanty supply of wheat from the mother country, 
are often in a state of hopeless starvation. It is a 
custom among the officers of the American squad- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 807 

rons, to send all the surplus rations of the men 
ashore, on soup days, in a barrel, to be served out 
to the poor. It is a laughable, and at the same 
time a melancholy sight to see the old and infirm, 
and the youthful poor, rivalling each other, sex 
against sex, in endeavoring to procure the largest 
ladle full ; while the rosiest cheeked maiden, she 
of .the most winning eye, is sure always,, to have 
her pannikin filled to overflowing by the liberal 
hearted midshipman superintending the distribu- 
tion. 

The natives of Minorca, like those of most other 
Catholic countries, are passionately fond of reli- 
gious parades, shows, masquerades, and fandangoes. 
One third of that time, which in intelligent com- 
munities would be passed in the study of books, or 
in some kind of intellectual recreation, is here 
devoted to dancing and feasting. Idleness and 
ostentation seem as inseparably connected as igno- 
rance and vice. Nor are the softer sex an excep- 
tion to the rule, for the women, in all their festivals, 
and public assemblies, appear to rival their male 
friends in endeavoring to out-herod Herod ; whether 
the same passion predominates among the higher 
class of the female population, I know not. I only 
speak of those among whom it was my lot to fall. 
I know that no movement within my knowledge was 
ever put on foot among them, but that a greater or 
less number of females participated in it ; and 
many, out of pure wantonness, often clothed them- 



308 Five Years Before the Mast. 

selves in male attire, that they might carry out 
their schemes to the more complete gratification of 
their tastes. 

The summer was already drawing to a close 
when we arrived at Port Mahon, and the comman- 
der-in-chief, deeming it important to make a visit 
up the Levant before cold weather set in, issued his 
orders fpr the squadron to prepare immediately for 
sea. Captain Tattnall, however, begged time to 
re-fit the rigging of the Fairfield, which had be- 
come so loose as to leave her masts and spars in 
rather a shackling condition. To favor the wishes 
of our captain, the commodore delayed the sailing 
of the squadron for a period of ten days, and all 
the men of our crew were put to work with the 
utmost dispatch in stripping and re-rigging the 
vessel. 

We completed our labors in due time, and at nine 
o'clock on the night of the tenth day, hoisted on 
board our last boat-load of provisions. While eat- 
ing our supper at this unusually late hour, our ears 
were saluted with the cry of " All hands scrub 
hammocks." The men were completely astounded 
at so unexpected a call at that late hour of the 
night, and broke immediately forth into murmurs, 
mingled with shouts and curses. The order was 
regarded as the more intolerable, from the fact that 
we had as yet received but one set of hammocks, 
and if these were wet and hung on the lines, and 
the decks wet with scrubbing them, there would be 



Five Years Before the Mast. 309 

no place to spread our bedding, and we would ne- 
cessarily be compelled to pass a sleepless night on 
our feet, or in leaning against the guns. This was 
certainly not a very pleasing prospect to a com- 
pany of men, yet panting and nervous from the 
effects of ten days severe toil, and who, on the 
morrow, were again to put the anchors to the 
vessel's bow, and buffet afresh with the waves 
and storms of the sea. It appeared to be the 
settled determination of the crew not to obey the 
order ; and those few who, amidst the general con- 
fusion, commenced unslinging their bedding for the 
task, were frightened from it by the threatening 
menaces of the majority. 

While the storm of excitement was raging on the 
berth-deck, the marines in the neighborhood of the 
steerage, had meantime carried their hammocks on 
the quarter-deck, and commenced pouring water on 
them. Some of the sailors, exasperated beyond 
the bounds of reason, cursed their cowardice, and 
assailing them with iron belaying pins, and other 
missiles, soon drove them from the deck. The cap- 
tain, aroused by the clatter of belaying pins and 
grape shot thundering against his cabin door, sud- 
denly appeared on deck, and becoming alarmed at 
the tumultuous uproar his own command had occa- 
sioned, passed a hasty order for all hands to be 
called to muster abaft the mainmast. In ten min- 
utes the crew were all gathered on the quarter-deck ? 



810 Five Years Before the Mast. 

while the officers ranged themselves round the cap- 
stan and helm, armed with cutlasses and swords. 

Finding myself unable to procure a stand as near 
the centre of attraction as was desirable, I slipped 
hastily on to the main channels, and clambering from 
thence on to the larboard quarter-netting, obtained 
a position from which I could see and hear every- 
thing that passed, both among the men and the offi- 
cers. Midshipman Turner, and the teacher of 
mathematics, had taken their stand between two 
of the quarter guns directly beneath where I was 
sitting. 

The captain made his appearance before the men 
with a countenance flushed with anger, and throw- 
ing his sword and scabbard on the capstan, de- 
manded in a peremptory tone, to know the cause 
of the disturbance. But nobody spoke ; arid after 
a reasonable pause he broke loose upon them in a 
shower of curses that bespoke a thorough acquaint- 
anceship with those harsher tropes and figures of 
language that all except gentlemen know so well 
how to utter. Having thus partially delivered him- 
self of his passion, he directed the petty officers to 
step forth in a body from the crowd, and state their 
grievances. But no one moved, and after a second 
pause he again broke forth. 

" You're an admirable set of men, a'nt you," 
exclaimed he, "to set at defiance the orders of 
your commander, and then be ashamed to give him 
a single reason for doing so ?" Is there one man 



Five Years Before the Mast. 311 

in the crowd, who can enlighten me in respect to 
the cause of this disturbance ? If there is, let him 
speak out?" 

The appeal of the captain seemed reasonable, and 
as no one of the petty officers appeared to show any 
disposition to enter into an explanation, I ventured 
to raise my voice from the hammock-netting. 

" Captain Tattnall" — articulated I, when a gen- 
eral murmur cut short my sentence. 

"Silence !" exclaimed the captain. " Mr. Whit- 
tle, see that those men are kept silent. Who is that 
speaking?" 

" It is me, sir," answered I. "I was about to 
offer an explanation of the present difficulty." 

" Well, say on, that's what we want to hear !" 
cried the captain. 

" The whole trouble arises from the circumstance 
of having only one set of hammocks," proceeded I. 
" If these are wet, and the decks wet, the men will 
have nowhere to spread their bedding, and conse- 
quently nowhere to sleep." 

" Why, what is this I hear, Mr. Whittle ?" ex- 
claimed the captain, turning to the first lieutenant. 
" Is this statement correct ? Have the men really 
but one set of hammocks ?" 

Mr. Whittle admitted that such was the case, and 
observed that the sail-maker had hitherto been too 
busily occupied in other employments to prepare a 
second set. 

" An unlucky oversight, indeed," ejaculated the 



812 Five Years Before the Mast. 

captain. " Had I known it sooner, I would have 
suppressed the order for scrubbing ; but since it has 
been given, it cannot be countermanded. You 
must, therefore, all go forward, my lads, and scrub 
your hammocks with a will !" 

The confusion was instantly renewed at these 
words. The men crowded into either gangway 
with cries of "No! no! — -we won't do it — it's a 
shame — the order may go to the devil !" 

The captain seized his sword, as if his w T hole soul 
was fired with a sudden stream of electricity, and 
slinging the scabbard half way across the deck, to 
the great danger of a midshipman's head that hov- 
ered in its line of transit, struck the naked steel 
over the capstan with a clang that threatened to 
knock everything into flinders. 

" Who is this hardy villain that dares to lift his 
voice against my authority ?" cried he, jumping up 
and down in his fury. " Let me see the face of the 
rascal that dares tell me he won't scrub his ham- 
mock. Show him to me — point him out, that I may 
carve my way through his mutinous heart ! Come 
back here you worthless galley-slaves, till I cut the 
head from every lubber who dares to tell my order 
to go to the devil. Mr. Whittle, let the battle lan- 
terns be lighted, and send a midshipman with 
orders to the drummer to beat to quarters. Mr. 
Boyle, have the marines filed up on the quarter- 
deck, with ball cartridge, and charged bayonets, and 
send word to the gunner to remove the pistols and 



Five Years Before the Mast. 313 

cutlasses from the forward ports. I'm determined 
to quell this mutiny, if I must do it in the blood of 
every man in the ship !" 

These orders of the captain were obeyed to the 
letter, and in five minutes after they were issued, 
the beat of the drum was heard rolling through the 
ship. All hands repaired immediately to quarters 
wondering among themselves what could be the 
meaning of this new movement. 

When the ship had become quiet and the officers 
had reported the divisions all present and in order, 
the captain ordered the lieutenants to lead their 
respective commands in companies to the quarter- 
deck. The order was executed with very slight 
confusion, and on the re-appearance of the men 
abaft the mainmast, the purser's steward presented 
himself with the ship's roll and proceeded to calling 
the names. 

"Number one," read the purser's steward. 

" Here, sir," answered the captain of the fore- 
castle. 

" Walk round the capstan," said the first lieu- 
tenant. 

The petty officer moved towards the capstan. 

"Stop!" exclaimed the captain, presenting the 
point of his sword at his breast. " I am going to 
cut down the first villain that tells me to my face 
he will not scrub his hammock. Do you obey my 
order, or do you not ?" 

" I will obey it, sir." 

27 



314 Fiye Years Before the Mast. 

" Go on, then, and see that you do." 

" Number two." 

u Here, sir." 

" Walk round." 

" Do you obey my order, or do you not V 9 

"I will obey it, sir." 

"Goon." ' 

" Number three." 
6 Here, sir." 

" Do you obey my order, or do you not ?" 

"I obey it, sir." 

" Oh, yes ! Ill warrant — all getting mighty 
•willing at once. Call number four." 

" Here, sir," said number four, stepping up. 

" Do you obey my order, or do you not ?" 

"I will obey it, sir." 

" You're a brave set of men, truly," exclaimed 
the captain, indignantly, at the servile behavior 
of the men, which individual safety alone drove 
them to assume. " In a crowd you think you can 
face the whole world, but taken singly, you're 
nothing but a set of rascally cowards after all. 
Go forward, one and all of you, and scrub your 
hammocks forthwith, and he that has his not clean 
at muster on to-morrow morning, goes to the gang- 
way for a dozen lashes with the cat-o'-nine-tails. 
You now understand the alternative, and may 
choose accordingly." 

The men seeing the utter folly of acting in fur- 
ther opposition to the commands of the captain, 



Five Years Before the Mast. 315 

now returned forward with some restoration of 
order. In a few minutes, brushes were heard at 
work in all parts of the ship ; and as the excite- 
ment of the night had been such as to deprive 
every body of any disposition to slumber, there 
was no more wrangling as to how, or where we 
should sleep. The officers uncertain as to what 
further occurrences might take place, kept their 
stand in a group on the quarter-deck, and talked 
over the proceedings among themselves. 

Perceiving at last that the ship had once more 
become quiet, I slipped forward out of the main 
channels, and repaired to the berth deck to unsling 
my hammock. I had scarce loosed half a dozen 
netlines, when the boatswain's call sounded through 
the ship, with the cry of " All hands witness pun- 
ishment.'' Who could it be that was going to be 
whipped at that hour of the night, was a question 
that flew from mouth to mouth, but which no one 
could answer, until the name of John Place, cap- 
tain of the forecastle, was echoed through the 
shipj in the stentorian voice of the boatswain's 
mate. All hands crowded up on deck as soon as 
possible, and gathered about the mainmast. 

On reaching the gangway and seeing Place 
standing there in a quiet manner, awaiting the 
movements of the officers, I conceived it the inten- 
tion of the captain to begin his punishment with 
number one and proceeding round the whole ship's 
company, make each individual a victim of a por- 



316 Five Years Before the Mast. 

tion of his vengeance. But in this I was soon 
undeceived, by hearing him speak of Place as one 
of the ring-leaders of the mutiny. I was surpri- 
sed at the idea of Place being a ring-leader, as I 
was not before aware that the events of the night 
had any ring-leader at all. If there was any 
ring-leader in the case, the captain himself was 
the man, for every thing that took place was the 
natural result of his own order — an order which he 
himself admitted was given in consequence of an 
oversight. A very small portion of common sense 
might have taught him that men who had labored 
hard for ten days, would desire a comfortable night's 
rest ; and that then to stick them in by-places and 
on wet decks, without beds, was not the best method 
of winning their confidence or securing subordina- 
tion. Had the order been for the performance of 
some necessary duty, it would have been obeyed with 
the most cheerful alacrity ; but to be required to 
make a sacrifice of their own personal comforts, 
for the mere purpose of enabling the captain to 
look upon a clean set of hammocks on Wednes- 
day instead of Thursday morning, appeared to the 
men a downright insult to their worn and exhausted 
condition. It required no leaders, under such 
circumstances, to produce a row ; and it would 
have better become the dignity of Captain Tatt- 
nall, who withal, was a very excellent officer, to 
have smoothed the matter over without resorting 
to the cat-o'-nine-tails, and giving the proceedings 



Five Years Before the Mast. 817 

the pomp and parade of a mutiny. But he thought 
otherwise ; and notwithstanding what had taken 
place, was nothing more than the effects of his own 
blunder, he proceeded to the infliction of a dozen 
lashes on the back of John Place, for what he was 
pleased to term mutiny ; which act was also in 
open violation of law, for the articles of war do not 
empower commanders of vessels to flog for mutiny, 
except in pursuance of the sentence of a court 
martial. 

On the dismissal of Place, the crew again re- 
paired to their respective employments. I had 
scarcely regained my hammock when my own 
name resounded through the ship, and I was, com- 
pelled once more to hasten to the spar-deck. On 
clambering up the fore-hatch, I encountered the 
first lieutenant, who flourished his sword about my 
head, and in every respect seemed moved with 
unaccountable passion. 

"You accomplished villain, have I fastened on you 
at last ?" ejaculated he, with clenched teeth, and at 
the -same instant a blow from the flat side of his 
sword descended on my cheek, sending sparks of 
fire in a thousand directions from my eyes. For a 
moment I felt faint, though I did not fall ; and on 
putting my hand to my face, I discovered that one 
of my teeth was partially displaced, while the blood 
began to ooze gently from both extremities of my 
lips. I drew my handkerchief from my neck and 

held it to my mouth, to prevent the blood from 

27* 



318 Five Years Before the Mast. 

trickling down on deck, which, had it occurred, 
would more than likely have cost me an additional 
punishment with the cat-o'-nine-tails. 

"Away with you to the quarter-deck, you muti- 
nous scoundrel !" continued Mr. Whittle, treading 
close upon my heels as I took my way aft, and at 
each step showering upon me every species of vile 
and unbecoming imprecation. 

On reaching the quarter-deck I found the sailing 
master, the teacher of mathematics, and midship- 
man Turner, gathered round the capstan, in com- 
pany with the commander. The latter demanded 
of me, if I were the man who had previously spoken 
from the hammock-netting. 

" Yes, sir, I am," answered I. 

"And are you also one of those who shouted no, 
when I ordered you forward to scrub your ham- 
mocks ?" 

"No, sir; I am not." 

"Are you quite sure of that?" said the captain, 
with a penetrating look. 

" Captain Tattnall," answered I, " whoever iden- 
tified me as the person who spoke from the netting, 
will be able to answer that question more to your 
satisfaction than myself; for he must be conscious 
whether I cried no, or not, while on the netting, 
and I never quitted my seat until after the men 
had dispersed forward." 

Upon this reply, the captain turned to the 
teacher of mathematics, who had stood close by me 



Five Years Before the Mast. 319 

at the time referred to, and who, I had not the 
least doubt, was the very man who had reported me 
to the captain. 

"Did you hear this man shout no 9 in disobe- 
dience of my order V 

"No, sir, I did not," responded the teacher. 

" Had you not a disposition, in the beginning, 
to disobey my order in concert with your ship- 
mates?" proceeded the captain, again addressing 
me. 

"I had not, sir," replied I. 

" Then why did you not scrub your hammock V 9 

" Because, sir, the dissatisfaction of the men was 
so general, that had I attempted it, I should have 
been beaten from the task, as some of the marines 
were." 

" Then you were only restrained from your duty 
by the opposition of the rest?" continued the 
captain. 

" That is all, sir," replied I. 

" What induced you to speak from the hammock- 
netting ?" 

"Your appeals, sir. You had several times 
called on the petty officers for a statement of 
their grievance, but all remained silent. I 
thought an explanation was necessary, and spoke 
accordingly." 

" But did you not aid in stimulating others to a 
resistance of my order ?" 

" I did not, sir. I trust I have been in the 



820 Five Years Before the Mast, 

service long enough, and served in ships enough, 
to know the consequences of acting in open oppo- 
sition to the orders of a commander, and I should 
feel very reluctant to drag other men into diffi- 
culties that I hesitated to encounter myself." 

Here Mr. Turner touched the arm of the captain, 
who immediately retreated a few paces on the 
quarter-deck to speak with Mr. Boyle. He pre- 
sently returned, and after remarking that appear- 
ances w r ere scarcely strong enough against me to 
implicate me seriously in the disturbance, dis- 
missed me with the hope that my future conduct 
might prove such as would show that his confidence 
in my innocence and integrity had not been mis- 
placed. 

On turning to quit the quarter-deck, my eyes 
glanced at the first lieutenant, who stood a few 
steps aside, his anger still lowering like a thunder- 
gust in his looks. I felt a momentary triumph in 
the thought, that though he had taken summary 
vengeance on me himself, his hate was not, in the 
present instance, to meet with the further gratifi- 
cation of witnessing my sufferings under the inflic- 
tion of the cat-o'-nine-tails. His looks were at the 
moment bent in the direction of Mr. Boyle, who 
stood on the opposite side of the capstan, and to- 
wards whom, as I walked forward, I felt my bosom 
bounding with renewed feelings of gratitude, for I 
saw plainly, in my unexpected dismissal, the fur- 
ther workings of his unsought benevolence. The 



Five Years Before the Mast. 321 

youthful Turner, who, in the meantime, had been 
dispatched with an order to the quarter-gunners to 
put out the lights in the battle lanterns, soon fol- 
lowed me to where I was scrubbing my hammock, 
and taking his seat on a shot-box close by, en- 
livened the operation with such remarks as the 
events of the night had a tendency to call 
forth. 

It is one of the evils of the naval service, that a 
sailor must submit to every species of insult and 
abuse that officers may feel disposed to heap upon 
him, without the power of resenting it, and without 
the hope of redress. If an officer strike a man, 
and the matter be reported to the commander, a 
reprimand may follow, or it may not, but happen 
the worst punishment that can to the offender, it 
will never exceed a reprimand. But the reprimand 
is often avoided by the offender pleading passion 
in extenuation of his offence. If Mr. Whittle 
knocks me down, and I report his violence to the 
captain, Mr. Whittle tells the captain he did it in 
a passion, and the plea of passion covers the whole 
difficulty. But put the ship on the other tack, 
and see how she will sail then : Suppose, when I 
recover from Mr. Whittle's knock-down, I jump 
up and give him a good knock over the nose, what 
follows /then ? Will the plea of passion excuse 
me ? According to municipal law, he is guilty of 
an assault and battery on me, and I am only acting 
in self-defence j but the naval regulations that 



322 Five Years Before the Mast. 

screen him under plea of passion, designate my 
proper punishment for resisting him to be that of 
hanging. A court-martial will immediately be 
convened on my offence for striking a superior 
officer, at which Mr. Whittle will himself sit as 
judge, and sentence me, if not to hanging, to a 
punishment at least equally as intolerable. 

A man in the Independence, named Burns, was 
collared by a midshipman whom he threw down for 
his presumption ; and though the young gentleman 
was not the least hurt in the fall, yet Burns 
was subjected to a court-martial, and sentenced to 
three hundred lashes, and to be kept in chains the 
remainder of the cruise. It is proper to observe, 
however, that Commodore Nicholson, conscious of 
the inhumanity of the sentence, remitted one third 
of the lashes ; but the other two hundred were in- 
flicted on him, as well as the irons. In these 
rigorous proceedings against Burns, not a word 
was permitted to transpire in reference to the 
assault made upon him by the redoubtable mid- 
shipman Orlando. 

The tenor of these harsh usages would seem to 
imply, that officers being at all times liable to act 
from the impulse of passion, are, therefore, excusa- 
ble in their violations of discipline ; but that sailors, 
being at all times governed by consideration and 
reflection, commit their breaches of discipline from 
calm, premeditated design, and are, therefore to be 
punished to the utmost extent of the law. The 



Five Years Before the Mast. 323 

veriest blockhead in existence would at once per- 
ceive the absurdity of such a deduction, and yet it 
is one to which the premises inevitably tend. 

While yet smarting from the effects of Mr. 
Whittle's blow, I did think at times of trying for 
redress, if it should not even amount to a repri- 
mand. But there appeared a difficulty even in the 
way of this. The regulations prohibited my ap- 
proach to the captain, except through permission 
of the first lieutenant ; and any one will readily 
understand the awkwardness of my undertaking so 
delicate a mission, through the approval of one 
whose most friendly wish would have been, to see 
myself and mission both knocked into a cocked 
hat. The thing appeared utterly out of the ques- 
tion, and after a few hours' consideration I gave 
it up. 

As to the law, though it entered my mind, I saw 
at once that it was too remote to bring me any 
relief. National municipal law never extends to 
the Mediterranean, and had I been disposed to take 
advantage of it on my arrival at home, its delay 
would have outlived the lean pockets of poor Jack, 
whose necessities would have driven him to abandon 
his suit, and return to the sea, while his successful 
opponent would have been receiving as big a salary 
in dancing attendance at a court, as in following up 
his calling in the Mediterranean. 

With the first appearance of dawn on the follow- 
ing morning, the loud report of the Brandywine's 



324 Five Years Before the Mast. 

gun, rolled along the waters, conveying in its harsh 
tones the order for the squadron to be moving. 
The shrill fife, and the merry drum, soon aroused 
the men from their lairs, and in a few minutes the 
events of the foregoing night were forgotten in the 
noise and bustle of unmooring ship. Early as was 
the hour, many of the females had already found 
their way from the town to the ship ; and when the 
anchors were finally brought to the bows, and the 
vessel began to move off under her spreading can- 
vass, the sad and dejected looks with which they 
took their leave, betrayed plainly enough, the loss 
they were sustaining in our absence. The sight of 
three noble vessels of war gliding gracefully down 
the harbor, had something in it so attractive that 
many of the citizens were drawn abroad from their 
homes to look upon the scene ; and on passing the 
village of Georgetown, situated near the mouth of 
the harbor, the soldiers, mounting to the top of the 
garrison, greeted us with a merry cheer, and, with 
hat in hand, waved their adieus until distance had 
shut them from our sight. The Brandywine was 
the first to obtain the offing ; and the commodore, 
soon after, designating by signal the order of sail- 
ing, the two subordinate vessels took up their re- 
spective positions, when all three stood boldly away 
for the coast of Africa. 



6i|^f)felr £igt|feeii)ff|. 



In which our mechanic sailor sees a good deal of stormy weather, 
and gets a peep at Mount Etna. 

As we are now out at sea, in rather squally 
weather, and as it will be several days before the 
commander-in-chief will bring us again to anchor, 
I will avail myself of the interim to draw aside the 
curtain of the ward-room, and show the reader 
some of the scenes enacting in the purser's depart- 
ment. 

I have in a former chapter more than hinted, that 
American pursers often visited Gibraltar for the pur- 
pose of supplying themselves with commodities for 
speculation. Our purser who had never before been 
up the Mediterranean, either understood the process 
of money-making in this region by intuition, or had 
been led into the mystery of it, by some of the offi- 
cers of the Fairfield ; for he commenced operations 
during our first two weeks at Port Mahon, with an 
earnestness that threatened to sweep everything 
of a money kind entirely out of the ship. 

My respect for Captain Tattnall would fain ex- 
onerate him from all participation in this inexcu- 
sable system of peculation and plunder, but circum- 
stances in so many instances concurred to implicate 
28 ( 325 ) 



826 Five Years Before the Mas!. 

him, that I fear were the crew called to sit as a jury 
upon his conduct, it would require a lawyer of mas- 
terly eloquence to obtain him a verdict of acquittal. 
The government, on every national ship makes am- 
ple provision of clothing for its sailors ; and instruc- 
tions are given for the distribution of these stores 
to the pursers of the respective ships, who receive 
a certain percentage for their trouble, in addition 
to their annual salary. But the pride of command- 
ers, superceding that of the government, discards 
the clothing of old Uncle Sam, and adopts a uni- 
form more compatible with its own taste. Captain 
Tattnall, conceiving the humble garb provided by 
the nation too inelegant in cut for the dandified 
appearance of the men under his command, no 
sooner landed at Port Mahon, than he ordered 
some four or five tailors on board with their yard- 
sticks and straps, and set them to measuring the 
men for new suits of clothing. These suits were to 
be made of cloths of a superfine texture, which the 
purser had the admirable foresight to provide while 
lying at Gibraltar. The price was fixed at seven- 
teen dollars per suit, while those of the government 
were retailing in the same ship at nine. The dif- 
ference, then, between a government suit, and one 
provided by Purser, Tailor & Co., was just eight 
dollars, which multiplied among an hundred and 
fifty men, would make the sum of twelve hundred 
dollars to be brushed into the coffers of the purser 
at a single sweep. Not a slow speculation, Sam 



Five Years Before the Mast. 827 

Slick would kalkalate, for a man to make in the 
first four weeks of a Mediterranean cruise. 

In connection with the foregoing commendable 
act of financiering, I must also call attention to 
some speculations of minor note, but which be- 
trayed an equal dexterity in turning a penny. The 
purser had the precaution, while providing his 
cloths, to lay out a round sum of government 
moneys in the purchase of blue flannel and linen 
sheeting, for men's frocks. These articles he was 
now retailing to the sailors at a profit of one hun- 
dred per cent. The captain may not have had an 
interest in seeing them sold at so high a price, 
though he recommended the men to the purchase 
of them, and carefully instructed the officers of 
the respective divisions to see that each individual 
at muster was properly provided with linen and 
with flannels, both white and blue. The demand 
for these articles would naturally have ceased, after 
the first supply, for a few months at least, in any 
common ship ; but the Fairfield, being an uncom- 
mon ship, and her purser an uncommon man, it was 
extremely desirable that it never should cease. To 
this end it soon grew a custom to set the men at 
some kind of dirty employment whenever they were 
cleanly clad, by which means their linen became 
soiled with pitch, tar, and paint. They were then 
prohibited from appearing at quarters, unless in 
frocks of the most spotless white. By this happy 
provision, the sailors were compelled to lay their 



S28 Five Years Before the Mast. 

soiled frocks aside before they were half worn out, 
and a continual run for new ones was kept upon 
the purser. 

The men, poor fellows, were under the impres- 
sion that when once more out at sea, they would for 
a time be relieved from these oppressive purchases, 
but in this they were widely mistaken. No sooner 
had we reached abroad on the wide waters of the 
Mediterranean, than the captain made it rulable on 
every calm day to have the sailors rigged out in 
their holiday finery, and as soon as muster was 
over, to pipe all hands to exercise sail. Away 
would go all the men aloft, hopping and skipping 
from rope to rope with the alacrity of squirrels, 
the respective topmen vieing with each other to see 
who could reef and unreef, or take in a topsail the 
quickest. The result of these proceedings com- 
monly was that one man would lose the sleeve of 
his jacket, another a cuff or a collar, and a third 
would be split open like a locust on the back, while 
not a few made a melancholy descent to the deck 
with a particular portion of their superfine trow- 
sers torn and mutilated, and the fragments flutter- 
ing like a ruptured spanker in the breeze. These 
exercises were doubtless extremely gratifying to the 
purser, who saw in prospective, through the rents 
of the tattered garments before him, new requisi- 
tions for seventeen dollar suits. As soon as the 
vessel again reached Port Mahon, the tailor and 
the yard-stick were once more in demand ; and the 



Five Tears Before taE Mast. 829 

poor sailors, perceiving in the movements some- 
thing like a collusion against their interests, gave 
up in despair, and talked among themselves of 
making an assignment at once to the purser of all 
their wages, both due and in expectancy. 

Those who are unacquainted with the machina- 
tions practised among officers, will perhaps wonder 
why sailors permit themselves to be thus humbug- 
ged, and may also ask why it was that the men did 
not refuse the purchase of these articles ; and were 
the question propounded to an officer, he would 
most probably answer that those purchases were 
entirely at the option of the men ; that they were 
at liberty to take the articles or let them alone. 
And I, myself, must admit that they did buy them 
voluntarily, though with the thorough conviction 
that if they refused, or objected to receive them, a 
thousand schemes would be resorted to for the 
purpose of annoying them into submission. A 
captain might not openly flog a man for refu- 
sing to buy of the purser a seventeen dollar suit, 
but he would flog him for appearing at muster in a 
nine dollar one, which in effect would be the same 
thing ; and the sailor, seeing his personal safety 
compromised between the two, chooses the least 
painful alternative. There w r as not a man in the 
Fairfield who would not rather have saved his mo- 
ney than waste it in extravagance of dress, had he 
not been conscious that his refusal to comply with 

the wishes of the officers, would have subjected him 
28* 



830 Five Years Before the Mast, 

to every species of cruel and unjust persecution. 
On board the Brandywine, where a similar game 
was carried on, the men did openly object to buy- 
ing the flannel, on the ground that it was dama- 
ged ; but Captain Guysinger insisted on their 
taking it, and when they still persisted in their 
objection, he put them in double irons, and actu- 
ally flogged them into submission. Hundreds of 
yards were thus forced upon the ship's company in 
the most inhuman manner ; and to what extent the 
captain might not have carried his barbarous per- 
secution of these honest sailors for refusing to be 
swindled out of their hard earnings, could not have 
been foreseen had not Commodore Morgan acciden- 
tally become apprised of the proceedings, and jus- 
tified the men by putting a stop to them. 

It was the intention of the commodore, at the 
time of leaving Port Mahon, to make a brief visit 
up the Levant as far as Smyrna, touching at Tunis, 
in Africa, and such other intermediate ports as lay 
in the track of his route ; but on arriving opposite 
to the bay of Tunis, he found himself headed off 
by such a strong south-easterly wind, that he 
abandoned his intended visit to that place, and 
shifting his course stood away for the island of 
Malta. On the following day we passed in sight 
of Malta, but the commander-in-chief showed no 
disposition to enter the harbor. The gales from 
the eastward still prevailing, we kept beating about 
for two or three days, to very little purpose, and 



Five Years Before the Mast. 331 

finally bearing up to the south-eastern coast of 
Sicily, soon afterwards came to anchor in the har-* 
bor of Syracuse. 

On mooring our vessels in the bay, the health 
officers of the town approached the flag-ship, and 
ascertaining that we had sailed up the African 
coast, prohibited the citizens from visiting the squad- 
ron, and denied us pratique until we had undergone 
a quarantine of twenty days. The commodore 
objected to this unnecessary quarantine, on the 
grounds that there were not the slightest symptoms 
of any contagious diseases on board the squadron ; 
but finding his remonstrances all in vain, he re- 
solved to make his stay in the port no longer than 
until a favorable change of wind should take 
place. So fearful were the officers of contracting 
some horrible malady from us, that when it became 
necessary to inspect some of the commodore'e 
papers, they received them from the side of the 
ship with tongs some twelve feet in length, and held 
them over a fire, fixed for the purpose in the bow 
of their boat, to smoke out the contaminating efflu- 
via before venturing to touch them. A like pre- 
caution was also observed by the citizens, who 
undertook to furnish provisions for the squadron. 
The beef being laid on the sea shore, the natives 
stood afar off until it had been deposited in the 
boats by our men, upon which they would approach 
near the spot where the money had been left lying, 
and seizing the cash with their pole-like tongs, stick 



332 Five Years Before the Mast. 

it into the fires of a portable furnace before pock- 
eting it. 

Sicily, the garden of Europe, and the most fer- 
tile country in the world, presents but few attrac- 
tive features along its south-eastern coast and in 
the immediate neighborhood of Syracuse, though 
to the northward the country swells gradually into 
pleasing undulations and hills, from amid which, 
like a gigantic pyramid piercing the very clouds, 
rises the murky outline of the great Mount Etna. 
This celebrated mountain is said, by some writers, 
to be two miles in perpendicular height, one hun- 
dred miles in circumference at its base, and to have 
been adorned along its sides, at one time, with no 
fewer than seventy-seven cities and villages. Its 
appearance from Syracuse, though, over thirty 
miles distant, is certainly beautiful and pictur- 
esque, and when viewed through a glass, the wood- 
land scenery along its sloping sides, displays almost 
every hue of the seasons, from the deep verdure of 
midsummer to the last expiring tints of autumn, 
the latter betraying their faint glimmer in the 
scanty vegetation barely perceptible amid the sur- 
rounding scoria, which in its turn becomes lost 
beneath massive accumulations of ice and snow. 
Along its eastern base it is washed by the waters 
of the Mediterranean, from whose sunny bosom 
its dark and craggy form rises into the heavens 
with magnificence and grandeur, inspiring the mind 



Five Years Before the Mast. 333 

of the passing mariner with feelings of admiration 
and awe. 

Of the city of Syracuse, but little can be said, 
and indeed but little need be said, for it is, doubt- 
less, ashamed of its own existence, and seems 
crouching away from the world like a decrepid 
beggar, dying amid the ruins of departed manhood. 
This great wonder of the Mediterranean — this 
vast city that once covered an area of twenty- 
two miles in circumference, and whose genius 
baffled the combined skill of the Roman powers — 
this pride of Sicily, that could at one time boast 
her half a thousand ships of war, and her two 
hundred thousand soldiers, and who still boasts of 
retaining in her decaying bosom a church in which 
once resounded the eloquence of St. Paul — this 
great mart of nations — this home of Archimedes, 
has dwindled down to a mere hamlet, destitute of 
life, destitute of commerce, and in which assemble 
to nightly rest,, a population of a few thousand 
paupers. The crumbling ruins that lie in scattered 
fragments along the- shores of the bay, give here 
and there some faint traces of her former great- 
ness; but even these serve to impress upon the 
place a deeper gloom, and to increase the general 
and the death-like desolation that every where 
abounds. The inhabitants themselves lack the 
cheerful appearance of a people accustomed to the 
full enjoyment of civil and religious rights. The 
hand of the oppressor has seized upon them with 



884 Five Years Before the Mast. 

an irrelinquishable grasp, and smothered within 
their bosoms, all aspirations for noble action and 
daring enterprise. There is no longer existing 
among them that activity and genius that once 
constructed temples, erected palaces, and filled the 
sea with ships ; and the very harbor that once 
gave shelter to the fleets of Carthage and the 
navies of Rome, is now obstructed by piles of 
drift and accumulations of sand. Liberty and 
happiness have long since taken their departure 
from among this people for more genial climes, 
and rolling themselves westward beyond the Alps, 
and over the oppressed nations of France and Spain, 
have finally constructed their dwelling amid the 
homes of America — among a people of whose 
birth-place the utmost ken of Italian glory could 
never form the most remote conception, but the 
feet of whose sons and daughters, nevertheless, 
trace occasionally those groves and fields, which 
the poets and philosophers of a more lustrous age, 
have rendered forever memorable to the world. 
What prophetic dreamer in the days of the Dio- 
nysii, would have thought of a country emerging 
from amid the waters of the western seas — of a 
nation springing into existence far beyond the 
mystic coasts of the fabled Atlantis, whose ships 
would one day pass the pillars of the famed Her- 
cules, and traverse the waters of the western seas ? 
So wild an enthusiast would have been ridiculed for 
his madness; and yet, this seemingly impossible 



Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 335 

dream, was most wonderfully realised. The ships 
of America were now at anchor in the same bay, 
where once had concentrated the naval forces of 
the world — the banner of the stripes and stars 
was waving joyously in view of that very Etna, 
whose snow-clad summit had overlooked the gene- 
rations of five thousand years, and which still 
stood majestically before us, like a monument of 
the once existing glory of Sicily. 

The Sicilians, still persisting in making us lay 
out our quarantine, the commodore, at the end of 
five days, made a signal for the squadron to get 
under way. The ships immediately unmoored, and 
spread their canvass to the breeze. The wind 
being southerly, the Fairfield, which lay furthest 
in-shore, was compelled to make a tack or two to 
windward, in order to gain the offing. In this 
manoeuvre she ran a little too near the shore and 
stuck upon a sand bar. This disaster caused a 
good deal of confusion on board. All sail was 
immediately taken in, the boats were hoisted out 
loaded with the anchors, which were conveyed to 
moorings at some distance from the ship. Kedges, 
sheet and chain cables, and hawsers, were hastily 
brought into requisition, and every exertion made 
to relieve ourselves from our embarrassing diffi- 
culty. The commodore having witnessed our mis- 
fortune from the offing, sent the Preble back to 
our assistance ; but that vessel, in approaching 
us, finding herself in danger of a similar fate, has- 



836 Five Yeabs- Before the Mast. 

tily about ship and proceeded to sea. After a few 
hour's faithful perseverance, we were, however, 
once more afloat ; and standing directly out of the 
harbor, we bid farewell to Syracuse and made the 
best of our way in pursuit of the commodore. 

The sea is often upbraided for its treachery, but 
it is questionable whether it is half so treacherous 
as the winds. Two-thirds of those dire calamities 
occurring at sea, are more directly due to the 
havoc of storms and hurricanes, than to the wan- 
tonness of the waters. There is no part of the 
Mediterranean that usually presents a more serene 
and delightful appearance than that around Sicily 
and the Lipari islands, nor at the same time, is 
there any place in the world more liable to sudden 
storms. It seems as if the atmosphere in these 
volcanic regions, was at all times charged with a 
superabundance of electricity, which the slightest 
vapor is sufficient to set in a roar. A single hour 
often suffices to change a scene of the most calm 
and placid beauty into that of a howling and 
bounding tempest- 
Beautiful as was the evening of our departure 
from Syracuse, we had scarcely stowed away our 
sheet cable and cleaned up the decks for sea, when 
a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder breaking 
from a cloud wheeling up on our larboard quarter, 
admonished us that danger was stalking abroad on 
the waters. The officer of the deck paid at first, 
but little heed to this signal gun of the elements, 



Five Years Before the Mast. 337 

but soon observing the heavens in every direction, 
lowering upon us with the most threatening aspect, 
he proceeded to taking in the studding sails, and 
striking the top-gallant sails. In an hour from the 
appearance of the first cloud above the horizon, 
we found ourselves struggling and buffeting with a 
tremendous storm. 

As before observed, the wind was southerly, and 
as we were bearing to the northward, along the 
eastern coast of Sicily, the ship was permitted i;o 
scud ahead under close reefed topsails. The storm 
kept pelting away with unabated fury, during the 
whole of the night ; and the wind which at first 
blew in fits and squalls, became by degrees more 
steady, and appeared to be strengthening into a gale. 
About two o'clock at night, the lookout on the 
bow, becoming alarmed at the formidable appear- 
ance of the waves rolling in advance of the ship, 
raised a terrifying cry. 

"Breakers ahead/' 

" Where away V 9 shouted the officer of the 
watch. 

" Right ahead, sir." 

" How far off?" 

" About three lengths of the ship, sir." 

"Port your helm, hard aport," cried the officer 
to the steersman. 

The ship suddenly rounded to windward, and 
bounded into the eye of the tempest like a tightly 
reined courser. 

29 



338 Five Yeabs Before the Mast. 

" How do they bear now," shouted the officer. 

a About two points, close under the lee bow, 
sir." 

" Let go the larboard sheet anchor/' continued 
he of the trumpet. 

" There is no cable bent, sir," shouted the cap- 
tain of the forecastle. 

" No matter — let it go, and be hanged to you, 
when I tell you," responded the lieutenant. 

"Let it go — let it go/' cried two or three men, 
crowding round the captain of the forecastle, who 
had sprung to the cathead to prevent the loss of 
the anchor. "Let it go, man, the officer of the 
deck says so." 

" I don't care a chaw-tobacker if he does," ans- 
wered the sturdy petty officer, seating himself 
calmly on the strap of the anchor. " The anchor 
is worth more nor he is ; and if it must go to 
Davy Jones', it shall go in company with the rest 
of us." 

By this time the plunging of the vessel, together 
with the shouting, aroused the captain, who sud- 
denly appearing on deck, seized a night glass and 
hastened to the forecastle. After scanning the 
sea in all directions, he was convinced that our 
movements were the result of a false alarm, and 
ordering the ship to be again put on the proper 
course, retired to the cabin. 

On the approach of daylight we discovered the 
Brandywine and Preble, both hove too in the mouth 



Five Years Before the Mast. 339 

of the Straits of Messina. Both ships began to 
make sail on our approach ; and as soon as w e were 
near enough to distinguish the signal of the com- 
modore, the latter bent his course swiftly down the 
Straits. The Preble and Fairfield followed with 
equal rapidity in the wake of the Brandy wine, and 
in a few hours arrived in front of Messina, without 
having encountered the dangers of either Scylla or 
Charybdis. The commodore's ship having broached 
to in the direction of the city, the other two vessels 
came to a halt to watch the result of his manoeuvres. 

On receiving a visit from the health officers, and 
finding them disposed to sustain the quarantine 
imposed upon him at Syracuse, the commodore 
again changed the course of his ship, and stood 
away in the direction of the Lipari Isles. It was 
now becoming pretty evident to the men, that the 
intended visit to the Levant had been abandoned, 
and that our present place of destination was the 
port of Naples. The discovery however, was pro- 
ductive of no dissension among the crew, as none 
had been delighted at the prospect of a cruise 
among the Archipelagos, and all anticipated a more 
agreeable treat at Naples, than at Smyrna. 

The day was disagreeable in the extreme. The 
wind blew still in a heavy gale from the south, 
mingled with terrific thunder, and drenching show- 
ers of rain. The sea, lashed into anger by the 
warring tempest, reared her foam-crested waves in 
fury against our stern, tossing and pitching us vio- 



340 Five Years Before the Mast. 

lently ahead, amid clouds of mist and spray. The 
night closed in upon us with a double darkness, 
while the raving elements, received, if possible, an 
additional flash of horror from the fires of Mount 
Stromboli, the light of whose belching flames, 
glared across the waters with a crimson hue, ren- 
dering the pillow of their ocean bed visible even to 
the summit of the distant Appenines. For more 
than half the night we held our onward course be- 
neath the bright glimmer of the mountain, and when 
the morning dawned, and we had passed far to the 
northward of it, the smoke and dust that had gath- 
ered about its northern summit, rushed darkly down 
upon the troubled waters, and pursued us, for 
leagues, amid the driving mists of the sea. 

This day was little better than the former. 
Though less rain, the winds remained the same, 
both in course and volume. We still dashed ahead 
however, during the whole of the day, and when the 
darkness of night again shrouded our cruise, though 
yet many miles from port, there seemed so much 
recklessness in running directly upon the coast, du- 
ring so rough a storm, that the commodore directed 
us to shorten sail, and ride at ease, until the ap- 
proach of day. At the first appearance of the 
dawn, we renewed our rough journey, and about 
nine o'clock A. M. glided past the little isles, adorn- 
ing the outer circuit of the most picturesque bay 
in all Europe. After a brief interval of another 
hour, the squadron dropped anchor in the bay of 



Five Years Before the Mast. 341 

Naples, and our ship rounded to windward, some 
hundred rods in front of the city. 

The weather, on the day of our arrival, was so 
stormy that the health officers were unable to visit 
the squadron. It would have been utterly impos- 
sible for an open boat to have advanced three rods 
from the shore, without being swamped in the surf 
that was rolling and dashing its white spray into the 
very streets of the city. The wind still continued 
blowing from the south, sending the huge breakers 
thundering into the bay, with a howl that alarmed 
many old sailors, long accustomed to the dangers 
of the sea. One anchor being insufficient to hold 
the ship, a second was let go, and perceiving that 
she still receded from her moorings, a short anchor 
was dropped. The three finally brought her to a 
stand, upon which she commenced plunging, with 
a desperation that threatened to engulf her. Each 
tremendous billow, swept upon her bows with a 
force that sent the blue waters streaming over the 
top-gallant forecastle, and along the gangways to 
the very helm. The captain, appreciating our 
danger, had the top-gallant yards sent down from 
aloft, and the top-gallant masts struck ; while sev- 
eral of the bow guns, were in the meantime, re- 
moved to the afterpart of the ship, and secured on 
the quarter-deck. The beneficial effects of these 
arrangements were soon perceptible, and finding 
that the cables were much relieved, we began to 
consider ourselves comparatively safe. The Bran- 
29* 



342 Five Years Before the Mast. 

dywine appeared to ride out the gale with the ma- 
jesty of a ship long accustomed to braving the ter- 
rors of the sea, while the Preble kept plunging and 
tossing more wildly, if possible, than ourselves. A 
French brig of war, which lay a short distance from 
us, had housed all her upper spars, and having 
nothing aloft to keep her head to windward, she 
sheared into the trough of the sea, and rolled from 
side to side, with a fury that more than once, bu- 
ried her hammock-nettings beneath the boiling 
waters. One of her quarter-boats was dashed from 
the davits, and drifting in the direction of our 
ship, was rescued by some of the crew, and subse- 
quently restored to the French commander. An. 
English merchant brig, which was moored a short 
distance from our stern, suddenly parted her ca- 
bles, and bounding, stem-foremost, on a reef of 
rocks, that intervened between her and the shore, 
turned over on her side, and plunged upon the 
beach, a total wreck, her bowsprit protruding across 
the front street of the city in contact with the 
houses. The crew were however fortunately saved 
by the timely assistance of a life-boat from the 
shore. 



Note. — The naval practice of shaving ship's companies out of 
their wages has been obviated in part by the establishment of 
fixed salaries to pursers in lieu of the former percentage. 



Gtj^pfei 1 ^ityefeetyffi* 



A Yankee mechanic on a sailor's beat in Naples. 

If the day of our arrival at Naples was bois- 
terous and unpropitious, it was more than compen- 
sated by the beauty of that which followed. The 
battling elements had ceased their strife during the 
preceding night, and the morning dawned upon the 
waters of a bay as smooth and silvery as the unruf- 
fled bosom of a lake. The ascending sun rose in 
cloudless majesty through the mellow atmosphere 
of an Italian sky, and cast his sparkling beams 
across the dim Vesuvius, shortening its dark shadow 
on the bay, and lighting up the rich autumnal foli- 
age of its sides with a mingled livery of green and 
violet. The appearance of this mountain is far 
less imposing than that of Etna, though its con- 
tiguity to Naples, and the beautiful country around, 
give it an equal, if not a greater interest in the 
minds of travellers. The top seems to have been 
separated by some fearful convulsion, leaving a 
chasm extending nearly one-third of the way down 
its centre, portions of which are nearly half filled 
up with rocks, dust, and scoria. The crater is evi- 
dently in the portion of the summit next to the 

(343) 



844 Five Years Before the Mast. 

sea ; and though no flames issue from it, the vol- 
umes of smoke mantling in circling eddies over 
it, give ample evidence of those ceaseless fires 
that once sent their destructive lavas, with ocean 
power, over the ill-fated cities of Herculaneum 
and Pompeii. 

The bay of Naples is semi- circular in form, the 
line of curve describing its circuit between two 
capes, one of which is adorned with the dark form of 
Vesuvius, and the other with a portion of the city of 
Naples. The southern side being open to the sea, 
readily accounts for the roughness of its waters 
during the prevalence of southerly winds. An 
artificial mole, for the better security of ships, is 
constructed in front of the city ; but vessels of 
war, having always an abundance of hands to meet 
any emergency of danger, never think of taking 
shelter in it. 

On complaint of the commodore, of the unjust 
quarantine imposed upon us at Syracuse, the au- 
thorities of Naples at once remitted the remaining 
ten days, and permitted the squadron to have im- 
mediate intercourse with the shore. Upon this 
some of the officers, as well as men, obtained leave 
of absence. Our captain had made it rulable, at 
the commencement of the cruise, to give the sailors 
leave of absence in the rotation of their messes, 
and all the messes preceding mine, in the order of 
their numbers, having been on shore at Port Ma- 
hon, it became my turn now. Leave and money, 



Five Years Before the Mast. 345 

for a thirty-six hour's ramble having been obtained, 
some twelve of us bounded into a boat, and were 
soon landed near the steps of a grim looking castle 
that overlooked the bay with a more formidable 
aspect than even the city-destroying Vesuvius, 
breathing* forth her volumes of smoke some four 
miles in front. 

If I had been surprised at the death-like dull- 
ness and inactivity of Syracuse, I was doubly aston- 
ished at the life, animation, and vivacity of Naples. 
Her vast population, of nearly four hundred thou- 
sand souls, seemed to have crowded itself into the 
streets. Here might be seen, in the immense 
crowds before me, the varied features of civiliza- 
tion in their brightest and darkest colors. Here, 
like a vision, flitted before my sight an endless 
panorama of beauty and deformity, wealth and 
poverty, virtue and vice, wisdom and ignorance. 
Here stalked, side by side, the noble and the live- 
ried menial, the foreign soldier and the native citi- 
zen, the mitred cardinal and the mountain robber, 
the cowled priest and the midnight pilferer, the 
jewelled lady and the beggared maiden, and even 
the nun and the courtezan, all intermingling in one 
vast crowd, and jostling each other amid the shouts, 
cries, whines, and curses of the half-clad beggars 
that thronged by hundreds in every thoroughfare. 
Every thing in this densely populated city seemed 
running into strange and disjointed extremes, from 
the titled prince, feasting on the most costly viands 



846 Five Years Before the Mast. 

in the vestibule of his palace, to the meanest and 
most woe-begone mendicant, brooding along the 
pavement over his solitary horse-chestnut. Alas ! 
thought I, if this metropolis of the two Sicilies can 
boast her hundred princes, she can also boast her 
forty thousand vagabonds ; if she can point the eye 
of the stranger to her palaces, her grotto, and her 
marble fountains, she can also point him to her 
dungeons, her prison ships, and foreign dogs of 
war. The tyrant that feels his soul thrill with 
pride, in gazing on his own statue, bestriding a 
marble steed within the colonnades of his royal 
chapel, may also tremble at the sigh of vengeance 
rising from the struggling bosoms of the dying 
patriots of Italy ; and when he himself follows those 
whom his inhumanity has hastened to an untimely 
grave, let him draw a happy consolation from the 
thought that his tomb will be loaded with the 
curses of his subjects, and his memory followed by 
the maledictions of a people whose homes have 
been rendered desolate by his heartless rapacity. 

On penetrating into the city, our foreign costume 
rendered us objects of particular attention to a 
certain class of citizens. We were instantly sur- 
rounded by about fifty people, who seemed all 
eager to serve us in some way, with the hope of 
obtaining a few pennies. But we waived them from 
us, and continued our way into the heart of the 
city. Our journey, however, was not unattended 
with interruptions. At one place we were seized 



Five Years Before the Mast. 347 

by a crowd, and dragged good-naturedly forward 
to a puppet show, the performances of which were 
progressing at the top of a screen, by the street 
side, in all the stateliness of Punch and Judy, with 
as much additional tact and humor as Italian inge- 
nuity could invent. For this treat, not one word 
of which we understood, we were requested to pay 
two coppers each. 

On leaving this establishment we were met by a 
gang of rival showmen, who had beheld with envy 
our patronage to the puppets. They instantly 
seized upon us, and forced us forward to a small 
tent, in which was exhibiting, at a penny apiece, 
the time-honored Virgin and the child Jesus. The 
back ground of the show was filled with miniature 
saints, who were grouped together in infantile inno- 
cence. The revenues of this dignified establish- 
lishment were collected by a priest, who, from head 
to foot, was shrouded in a white robe, the only 
openings of which were too small holes beneath the 
forehead, through which peered a pair of piercing 
black eyes. After each of us had slipped two cop- 
pers into the box of this holy representative of the 
most holy see, we were permitted to take our de- 
parture in peace. 

The first two hours of our shore adventures 
satisfied me that the citizens were every where dis- 
posed to take advantage of our ignorance of their 
language, and that every scheme was resorted to 
among them to swindle us out of our money. 



348 Five Years Before the Mast. 

These things made us feel the want of an inter- 
preter, but there appeared some difficulty in ob- 
taining one. Overhearing some Swiss soldiers 
talking together on the pavement, I ventured to 
address them in German, upon which they touched 
their hats very politely ; and on finding that we 
were Americans, became quite friendly, and 
offered to aid us in procuring an English inter- 
preter. 

Following in the footsteps of our new friends, 
we were led a few squares down a narrow street, 
and conducted into a large drinking-saloon, where 
stood four or five tables, surrounded by about forty 
soldiers dressed in the same uniform as those of 
our escort. On being introduced to the party as 
American sailors, an additional half dozen bottles 
of wine were called for, and on being placed before 
us by the female servants in attendance, the whole 
party toasted us and our country with a cheer, 
such as we had been accustomed to use on board 
the Fairfield, as the shout of a sham victory. 

A general conversation now sprung up among 
them, in respect to America. One had a brother 
living in New York, another a sister in St. Louis, 
a third two cousins in Baltimore ; and, in truth, as 
the discourse flew from mouth to mouth, there was 
scarcely an individual among them but had friends 
or relatives distributed in some portion of the new 
world. All were determined, at one day, to tread 
the soil of America. Many had already prepared 



Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 349 

ducat upon ducat for that purpose ; and all hoped 
to pocket, from the fingers of Ferdinand and those 
of his powerless subjects, the golden crutch that 
was to sustain their journey to the distant prairies 
of the western world. An hundred questions, in 
respect to subjects connected with my own country, 
were propounded by the different speakers, all of 
which I answered as briefly and satisfactorily as 
possible. At last one of the company threw up his 
hat, and commenced singing an emigrant song, in 
which all the rest joined in chorus ; and when it 
was finally concluded, with quite a touching pathos, 
they all clapped their hands, and seizing their 
glasses, drank success to America, with an appetite 
that threatened to engulf every idea of the conti- 
nent they were toasting. 

At this moment, the soldier who had volunteered 
to procure an interpreter entered the apartment, 
in company with an elderly man of slender frame, 
who, he thought, might answer my purpose — but 
whose honesty, he observed, would not be any the 
worse of a little watching. 

After an interchange of a few words with the 
interpreter, I prepared to take my leave. The 
soldiers, finding me decided against passing the 
day with them, crowded round me on every side, 
shaking my hands, and eliciting from me a promise 
to visit them again on the following day, before my 
departure to the ship. My messmates, whom the 
discharges of the wine bottles had imbued with 
30 



850 Five Years Before the Mast. 

quite a martial spirit, determined to sustain to the 
last the posts allotted to them by their Swiss allies ; 
and blow high, blow low, swore they would never 
desert the cantonment, while there remained a shot 
in the locker or an unconquered wine bottle in the 
port. With this understanding, myself and two 
of my more orderly companions, left the assembly, 
and started in search of adventures more congenial 
to our tastes. 

" Where do you want to go ?" inquired the inter- 
preter, in good English, as soon as we had gained 
the street. 

"Wherever there is any thing to be seen," re- 
plied I. 

" To be seen !" echoed he, laughing. "Are we 
not in Naples ? Is not the fashionable toyshop of 
all Italy before you ?" 

"True," observed I, "we are in Naples, and a 
dark enough hole this portion of it is, too. Why 
do they make their streets so narrow ? Does the 
sun ever shine in here ?" added I, glancing upward. 
" How high are these houses ? One, two, three, 
three and three are six, six and three — nine stories 
and a basement ! We have nothing in America 
quite so heavenly as that !" 

Before I had withdrawn my looks from aloft, my 
foot was tripped, and down I went among a pile 
of beggars who had stretched themselves on the 
pavement to solicit alms. Before I could regain 
my feet, my purse, which was suspended by a string 



Five Years Beeoke the Mast. 851 

round my neck, slipped accidentally from the 
bosom of my frock. It was instantly clutched by 
one of the prostrate beggars, who, breaking the 
string, whipped it under his tattered clothes. As 
quick as lightning I grasped the villain by the 
throat, and slinging him into the street, held him 
there, demanding my money. His comrades set 
up a howl of distress, and attempted to aid him ; 
but I kept them off by kicks and menaces, until 
two Swiss soldiers were attracted to the spot, who, 
on being informed of the robbery, proceeded to 
search the scoundrel. He fell on his knees, de- 
claring his innocence of the theft ; but the soldiers, 
without paying the least regard to his whining pro- 
testations, divested him of the filthy rags that served 
as his clothing, and soon found the purse concealed 
in a sack next his person. When the purse was 
resfored, he became very penitent, and while re- 
clothing himself under the kicks of the soldiers, 
begged of me, in tears, for God's sake to let him 
have a little money to keep him from perishing of 
hunger. I offered the soldiers money, in recom- 
pense for their timely aid, but they refused all com- 
pensation ; and taking their walk in the direction 
of the house we had just quitted, left us to the 
renewal of our adventures. 

" You were lucky in getting your purse, again," 
said our guide, as we resumed our walk. " It is 
a wonder he did not slip it into the hands of one 
of his companions." 



352 Five Years Before the Mast. 

" I was too quick for him, or doubtless he would," 
replied I. "My eye was fixed on both his hands, 
all the time I had hold of him. I was determined 
it should not pass from him without my knowledge ; 
but here's that bustling street again. Are there 
no places of amusement, we might visit, without 
encountering such an interminable crowd ? 

" Yes ; we might go to the grotto, or to the 
king's gardens." 

" How far are they off?" 

" The former about a mile, and the latter, near 
two miles." 

" Rather too long a cruise, to go on foot," ob- 
served one of my companions. 

"Yes, too far for me, at all events," said I; 
" for I feel half tired to death with fighting that old 
beggar." 

" Let us take a coach, and ride out to Mount 
Vesuvius," said another of our party, whose name 
was Stephens. 

" Agreed," said I. " Mr. what name are we 

to know you by ?" inquired I, turning to our inter- 
preter. 

" Anything you please," answered he, laughing. 
" You may call me John Bull, for want of a better 
name, for I am an Englishman at any rate." 

"Well then, Mr. John Bull," observed Stephens, 
" as you and Jonathan are to have a day's cruise 
together, top your boom, and hunt us a coach, in 
double-quick time, and let us take a beat to old 



Five Years Before the Mast. 353 

Vesuvius. And, harkee, sir, mind and bring one 
of the right stripe. " 

The guide instantly darted away in search of a 
coach, while myself, and companions, took our walk 
in the direction of the square, designated as the 
place to meet the coach. 

While awaiting the return of the guide, our 
attention was arrested by a commotion up the street, 
and on mounting the steps of the houses, so as to 
overlook the heads of the multitude, we descried 
two of our shipmates, who had parted company with 
us early in the day, thundering down into the 
square, mounted on jackasses, and followed by some 
fifty of the lazzaroni, shouting and laughing, with 
the most exquisite delight. The people scampered 
in every direction from the street, as they ap- 
proached ; and the riders perceiving us watching 
their movements, commenced playing their whips 
with an activity that would have done credit to a 
boatswain's-mate, while the high-mettled animals 
darted ahead with a speed that outstripped the feet 
of the nimble mob following in their rear. 

"Hurrah for Mount Vesuvius V 9 shouted the 
foremost sailor, waving his hand, and kicking his 
heels into the flanks of his animal, as he passed in 
front of us. 

" Hurrah for old Parkhill, and his brother jack- 
ass !" answered Stephens, slinging his hat at the 
head of the beast. 

The ass, frightened at the hat, shyed off with a 
30* 



854 Five Years Before the Mast. 

bound; and Parkhill, losing his equilibrium, shot 
from his saddle, and turned a summerset in the 
direction of an old woman, who was roasting horse- 
chestnuts over a hand-furnace, by the street side. 
The heels of the unassed sailor striking on the 
edge of her frying pan, sent it singing, like a tam- 
bourine, into the middle of the street, while the 
chestnuts rattled round, in every direction, like 
hailstones in a tempest. 

"Are you hurt, Parkhill ?" exclaimed Stephens, 
running to the assistance of his fallen shipmate, who 
clung with both hands to the curbstone. 

" Hurt, the devil ! Never mind me, but stop the 
headway of the jackass. Clew up his sails, and let 
go his anchor, or he'll be harder aground nor I 
am, in less than two minutes.'' 

The ass was soon restored by a bystander, who 
pocketed a rich reward for his labor ; while Park- 
hill's companion, who had witnessed the accident, 
in the meantime rounded too, and now riding up, 
aided his friend in re-mounting, upon which the 
two rode off more moderately, followed by the lam- 
entations of the old woman, who raised a despair- 
ing cry over the loss of her chestnuts. 

"Shut your mouth, you old catamount !" cried 
Stephens. "I would'nt raise such a scream, for a 
cart load of chestnuts. How much are they worth ? 
I kicked up the muss, and I can pay for them." 

"Give her a few coppers," interposed an En- 
glish gentleman, who had been attracted to the 



Five Years Before the Mast, 355 

spot by the novelty our presence created. " You 
can buy a bushel of these in the market for a mere 
trifle." 

Stephens gave the old crone a sixpence, on which 
she instantly dried her tears, and clasping her 
hands in thankfulness, began pouring upon him her 
blessings, in a tone almost as shrill as her former 
cries of sorrow. 

Our guide now appearing with a coach, the driver 
drew up at the side of the street, and cracking his 
whip, motioned for us to get into it, bub Stephens 
who was out for a " bust" refused to mount one 
step of the "Jacob' s-ladder" until furnished with a 
bottle of liquor. The desired luxury was soon pro- 
cured from a neighboring house, upon which we all 
mounted into the coach, and rolled off in pursuit of 
our equestrian shipmates. 

Though the road round the circuit of the bay, 
was as beautiful as fancy can conceive, our pro- 
gress was not very rapid; for there were objects of 
interest, at many points, which it required pauses 
to inspect, and once John Bull and I dismounted, 
to examine the wreck of the English brig that had 
been cast upon the shore during the recent storms. 
More than an hour had elapsed by the time of our 
arrival at the foot of the mountain, and both my 
companions, had become so drunk from the contents 
of the bottle, that neither of them could have ac- 
complished the ascent, had they undertaken it. At 
the suggestion of the guide, who thought the day 



356 Five Years Before the Mast. 

too far advanced for a journey to the summit, the 
project was abandoned, and our party joined in 
company with Parkhill and his friend, who had 
located themselves in front of a pretty cottage, oc- 
cupied by a merry little Italian woman, and near 
which stood a wine press. The luscious liquid of 
the Vesuvian grape was ordered forth by the quart, 
and the whole party walked into it with an appe- 
tite that showed them no novices in the favorite 
devotions of the merry god; while the repeated 
praises bestowed on each mug by the amiable land- 
lady, told loudly in favor of the high esteem in 
which she held the merits of her wine. After an 
hour of noise and revelry, during which the lan- 
guage of both our guide and coachman began to 
betray symptoms of the deleterious effects of our 
Vesuvian visit, it was finally proposed that we should 
return to Naples. The proposition meeting with 
the unanimous accord of the whole party, the asses 
and coach were again brought forth, and such as 
were too drunk to mount without help, being aided 
into the coach, the whole cavalcade retraced its way 
to the city, amid the shouts and hurrahs of its own 
members. 

On the dismissal of the coach, the movable por- 
tion of our party had become reduced to the guide 
and myself, who after seeing our companions housed 
for the night, and partaking a lunch of maca- 
roni and cheese, repaired to the theatre. The 
play was a comedy, and though the language was 



Five Years Before the Mast. 357 

wholly unintelligible to me, the groupings were at 
times so ludicrous that I laughed heartily with the 
rest. I saw nothing in the decorations of the 
house, or the stage, that excelled in taste or ele- 
gance, what I had been accustomed to witness in 
like establishments in our own country ; and as to 
the arrangements for the accommodation of an 
audience, I deemed them less creditable than those 
of an American travelling circus, for no one could 
obtain a seat more comfortable than a solid plank 
without paying the additional value of a dime for a 
portable cushion. 

The play over, I was provided with lodgings by 
the guide, who passed the night in the same cham- 
ber with me, the bills for both amounting to the 
moderate sum of twelve-and-a-half cents. In the 
morning I was astir at an early hour, and leaving 
my English friend still in the misty land of dreams, 
sought my way to the Swiss hotel, where I found 
most of my shipmates, and where I partook of a 
good breakfast of fish, ham, and sausages, together 
with some of the best cheese that ever emanated 
from the Alpine regions of Switzerland. 

After a mutual interchange of toasts, and good 
wishes, with the jolly Switzers, I again sallied 
abroad into the city, accompanied by Stephens, 
who had recovered sufficiently from his previous 
day's carousal, to renew his rambles. At the 
first angle of the street we encountered our 
English guide, who again joined us, and we three 



858 Five Years Before the Mast. 

together, wended our way to the southern part of 
the city. 

The area of Naples extends near a league along 
a pleasant hill, rising to an elevation of some two 
or three hundred feet. The most populous and 
active portion of the city stretches along its eastern 
acclivity. Towards the summit, the houses, though 
less crowded, are more elegant; and the whole 
hill, along its entire top, presents a noble view of 
beautiful villas, palaces, and public edifices, par- 
tially displaying their sumptuous architecture from 
amid shady groves and creeping vines. The west- 
ern side declines gradually away into a delightful 
vale, which is washed along its southern margin by 
an estuary of the Mediterranean. Along the 
boundaries of this vale, are located the royal gar- 
dens, filling the air with their rich perfumes, and 
inviting the passing traveller to linger among 
groves and bowers, more beautiful than ever graced 
the homes of the fabled naiades. The city here 
has less pomp, less show, less glitter, than on the 
opposite side ; but the comparative quiet and close 
proximity to the country, as well as the silvan 
scenery of a beach, along which is scarcely heard 
a ripple of the sea, makes it a happy and desira- 
ble retreat to persons of retiring and contempla- 
tive minds. The two portions of the city are 
connected by a tunnel through the hill. This 
excavation is, however, only known as the " grotto," 



Five Years Before the Mast. 359 

and it was to this grotto that myself and compan- 
ions now directed our way. 

Early as was the hour, we found many stalls 
erected at the entrance of the grotto, teeming with 
fruits and refreshments of every description, and 
so crowded with beggars that it was imposible for a 
sailor to drink a glass of mulled wine without hav- 
ing it clutched from his lips by two or three mis- 
creants who deemed it an act of ill-manners, to 
demand less than one-half of every thing he pur- 
chased. Finding the grotto filled at every point 
with these beggarly obstructions, we passed through 
to the opposite extremity, and soon came within 
view of the royal gardens. I felt desirous of 
entering the enclosures, but was told by the guide 
that it was first necessary to have a written pass 
from the captain of the police. I, however, ap- 
proached the soldier who was guarding the entrance 
and inquired in German, what formalities were 
requisite to obtain admittance. He started in 
surprise, and asked what countryman I was. On 
being told that I was an American, he smiled, and 
motioning with his hand to the gate, told us to go 
in, but to be careful and not trespass on the sta- 
tues or the grass. John Bull was more surprised 
at my success in gaining admittance, than the sen- 
try had been at my knowledge of the German 
language, and swore that no Neapolitan could have 
met with a similar mark of confidence from a 
Swiss soldier. 



360 Five Years Before t&e Mast. 

On entering the gardens, my companions and 
myself separated, they going to the right hand and 
I to the left. It was yet too early in the day for 
city visitors, and I pursued my solitary ramble 
through one of the most delightful places in the 
world, uninterrupted by the presence of aught 
living save the feathered songsters that glided from 
tree to tree. After feasting my mind for two 
hours, on every fanciful idea that could be awa- 
kened by the most refined sculpture, the most 
sparkling fountains, and dreamy bowers, I thought 
of returning to the city, and began to look around 
for my company. Both had fallen asleep under 
the shade of a spreading vine, and rousing them 
up I began to upbraid them for their dullness in 
artistical taste. But Stephens thought that artis- 
tical taste had less of nater in it than a taste of 
good brandy, and swore that there was a darned 
sight more fun in " cuttin double shindies" with the 
Dutch girls at the Swiss hotel, than in "loafing" 
among a parcel of naked men and women, made 
of marble, and scattered through a " bush." As 
he was now up for an instant return to the canton- 
ment, we all three left the gardens at once, and 
retraced our way through the grotto. 

On our re-appearance in the city, Stephens, 
whose passion for the wine cup and the Swiss girls 
superseded all other amusements, directed his way 
to the hotel where he had passed the night, while 
my English friend and I proceeded into the neigh- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 361 

borhood of the palace, and took a turn in the semi- 
circular colonnades of the adjoining chapel. The 
palace of the king, though large, is a plain brick 
edifice, and not very attractive in its external 
appearance, but is set off with happy effect by 
the open square in its front. The colonnades of 
the chapel project forward in two arms, as if to 
embrace the palace, while the intermediate space 
between the arms is adorned with two equestrian 
statues of marble, mounted on pedestals some eight 
feet from the ground. 

The palace of the prime minister of the two 
Sicilies, a short distance from that of the sovereign, 
is a beautiful edifice. It is built of white marble, 
on the hill side, and is partially divided by a long 
vestibule or arched court, which is ascended by 
flights of steps at intervals of nearly thirty feet. 
The niches along the sides of the court, are filled 
with sculptured designs of the most eminent artists, 
representing the famed heroes of ancient song, who 
with solemn look and thoughtful brow, seem con- 
templating the present oppression and gloom of 
their once free and happy Italy. 

Leaving this gorgeous structure, I was next led 

to a church said to have been visited occasionally 

by Bonaparte d,uring his sojourn at Naples, and 

hence called the "Church of Napoleon." Much 

as I had before seen of Catholic ostentation in the 

extravagant decoration of churches, the greatest 

stretch of mv imagination had never conceived a 
31 



362 Five Years Before^ the Mast. 

parallel of the magnificence and profusion here 
displayed. The whole interior of the building, 
from the mouldings of the dome to the nethermost 
extremity of the walls, was literally in a blaze of 
gold. The altar, the images, and the organs, 
sparkled with precious gems, while the pillars vied 
with each other in the splendor of their deco- 
rations ; and even the statues of the holy saints 
adorning the niches, and whose prototypes had 
passed their days in wealthless humility, were 
peeping out upon the golden scene before them, 
from beneath coronets of the most exquisite and 
costly workmanship. 

Such sanctified magnificence is doubtless ex- 
tremely gratifying to the taste of a true Catholic, 
who sees in it nothing more than man's munificent 
love to his Creator ; and that such outward trap- 
pings of wealth and grandeur impress the ignorant 
multitude with a high sense of the sublime in 
Christianity, is altogether indisputable. But to 
the philanthropic mind, who would weigh the bless- 
ings of the Supreme will in scales of happiness to 
all his creatures, these things become objects of 
sincere regret. It is impossible for a man accus- 
tomed to a land of plenty, where beggary is almost 
unknown, to look upon the starving thousands of 
Naples, and not regret the sacrifice of so much 
wealth for mere external religious show — to witness 
the ignorance and degradation of the mass of her 
citizens, and not wish a portion of this wealth 



Five Years Before the Mast. 363 

diverted into channels for their moral elevation. 
How much wretchedness and misery might not be 
obviated by a proper application of the sums of 
money expended in the decorations of this single 
church ! How many darkened minds, that are 
now treading the downward way to crime and 
desolation, might not be enlightened to virtue and 
science, by a direction of one-half of the munifi- 
cent funds of the church to the establishment of 
public schools ! But monarchy and popery direct 
it otherwise ; and while each might acquire an 
enviable renown in governing a nation of intelli- 
gent freemen, they sacrifice their own peace of 
mind and the happiness of their subjects, in endea- 
voring to sustain the empty trappings of a throne. 
But time and human progress will rectify their 
blunders. Their reigns, instead of yielding men, 
have produced cannibals, whose stomachs thirst for 
the blood of the oppressors — the steel of the tyrant 
is sharpening the teeth that will eventually rend 
him from his throne, and feast a long night of 
revelry on the untombed flesh of his ermined 
carcase. 

On quitting the church I settled with my guide, 
to whom I paid a dollar for his services ; and as it 
was drawing near the time of day at which my 
presence would be anticipated on board the ship, 
I thought it best to return home. My English 
friend accompanied me to the landing, where 
several of my messmates had already preceded me, 



364 Five Years Before the Mast. 

and where I soon took my seat in one of the Fair- 
field's boats, bidding farewell to my friend and to 
Naples. Thus ended my brief visit to that famous 
city, which the natives often designate as a " part 
of heaven fallen upon earth ;" but which, notwith- 
standing the extravagant figure, has as much of 
the nether elements in its composition, as any 
known spot of like extent on the globe. 

Our Neapolitan visit was not one of the most 
favorable kind to the Fairfield, inasmuch as she was 
compelled to leave the port with two hands less in 
the number of her crew than she had entered it. 
Those two Englishmen who had shown a hanker- 
ing after the Rodney at Gibraltar, and who were 
both members of my mess, had forgotten to return, 
to the ship ; and though diligent search was made 
for them about the city, they managed to keep 
themselves invisible. Mr. Boyle, however^ said he 
was glad they were gone — that the old Fairfield 
needed some purging of her rotten timbers — that 
he would not give a "tinker's compliment" for a 
sailor in the American service, who would barter 
the glorious banner of the a stripes and stars" for 
the royal cross of St. George. 

Having gratified his own curiosity, and that of 
his subordinate officers, with a view of the wonders 
of Naples, the commodore ordered the squadron 
again to sea, and retraced his way to Port 
Mahon. 

The only striking incident on board our ship, 



Five Years Before the Mast. 365 

during this voyage, was the imprisonment of the 
boatswain. Mr. Edgar, as the reader is already 
aware, was remarkably fond of grog. At Naples 
he had indulged his appetite to such excess, that 
he was, at times, incapable of attending to his 
duties; and on quitting the port, had furnished 
himself with a supply of liquor to last him some 
weeks. His intemperate behavior in the steerage 
had produced an altercation between himself and 
his messmates, during which he made an assault 
upon the gunner. His disorderly conduct was 
immediately reported to the captain, who ordered 
him to be placed under arrest, and kept in irons 
until our arrival in port. At the end of our voyage, 
his case was referred to the commander-in-chief, 
who suspended him from his office, and ordered 
him to be sent home at the earliest opportunity. 

However settled my hate, for the ill-treatment I 
had suffered at the hands of this unfortunate wretch, 
I had now my revenge. Though in the receipt of 
forty dollars per month, his wages had been so 
methodically exhausted, that he was not in posses- 
sion of sufficient money to defray his expenses 
home. To meet this deficiency, he threw himself 
on the charity of the ship's company ; and now it 
was that he first discovered the exact estimation in 
which he was held by the men. Many openly 
derided his claims on their benevolence, and not a 
few met his solicitations with a hearty curse. Some 

few, however, did subscribe a dollar each, by which 
v 3l* 



366 Five Years Before the Mast. 

he was saved from absolute destitution. On pre- 
senting his paper to me, he turned his face aside. 
After looking it over, I handed it back, asking if 
he remembered the flogging he got me in the old 
Columbus. He took back his paper with a bitter 
look, and walked away without making any reply. 



C^pfei 1 Itoeiijflefii. 



Adventures at Port Mahon. 

On our appearance at Port Mahon, there was a 
second jubilee among the ladies, who visited the 
squadron by scores, and met poor Jack with such 
happy greetings, as made all hands think themselves 
once more at home. The time was also a propitious 
one for the men. There was a prospect ahead for 
a few months of fun and amusement. The Bran- 
dywine, and Preble, were already warping into 
winter quarters, while the Fairfield, presented that 
neat and tidy appearance, which in every ship of 
war, betokens an opportunity of relaxation and ease 
to the hardy sailor. 

A few days after our return, the captain gave 
leave of absence to a portion of the crew; and 
though some of my messmates had barely recovered 
from the effects of their Neapolitan spree, we had 
the luck of being numbered among this party. 
Stephens, who had become my most intimate asso- 
ciate, was in ecstacies at the prospect of another 
cruise on shore, while Parkhill, who was always out 
for equestrian exercises, began to talk of martin- 
gales, and bridles, as if his whole life had been 

(367) 



868 Five Years Before the Mast. 

passed from under the bowsprit, or astride the flemish 
horse. To me, the circumstance of going on shore 
at Port Mahon, possessed a greater charm than at 
Naples, from the simple fact, that here I could 
make myself understood by the natives, which was 
far from being the case in the more superb metro- 
polis of Italy. 

On being landed on shore, the first object of our 
search, as a matter of course, was a grog-shop. This 
we found before we had penetrated a square into the 
town ; and charging ourselves with a sufficient quan- 
tity of ardent spirits, to arouse the more refined spirit 
of adventure, questions were started among the com- 
pany, as to what amusements were to constitute the 
order of the day. One thought the most delightful 
thing we could undertake, was, to kick up a row with 
the police, and fight the soldiers, while a second, sug- 
gested the idea of getting up a fandango. A third 
•was in favor of a jackass expedition to Georgetown, 
getting drunk on the road, and returning home the 
best way we could. The last proposition appeared 
to meet the approbation of Parkhill and Stephens, 
the former of whom received the suggestion with a 
cheer. Indeed, the adventure seemed to embody 
so much of the ludicrous, that I was disposed to 
join in it, and after some persuasion on the part 
of Parkhiil, finally consented to become one of the 
party. The expedition matured, about a dozen of 
us repaired to a livery stable, where, in less than 
an hour, we were mounted on as many animals, 



Five Years Before the Mast. 369 

and thundered off, down the streets of the town, 
with the fleetness of a company of cavalry in pur- 
suit of a flying foe. Twice we dismounted to drench 
our throats before we had traversed the extent of 
the city, and even after we had passed beyond its 
limits, we hailed the country people, proceeding 
with their wines to the market, and levied contri- 
butions on their respective demijohns. 

Arriving at Georgetown, we secured our beasts 
wherever a peg could be found large enough to hold 
one, and bounding into the first hotel, which was 
half filled with soldiers, called for half a dozen bot- 
tles of wine. The soldiers, soon retiring from the 
apartment, left our party to themselves, upon which 
most of them entered into the affections of the 
wine with a determination that threatened to sweep 
everything into oblivion. After half an hour of 
riotous drinking, Stephens drew me aside and told 
ne that it was a settled scheme among the party 
to get me drunk ; and that I must keep an eye to 
my glass, as the rest were adding spirits to my wine. 
I thanked him for the hint, and as I had already 
some queer sensations about the head I soon managed 
to give the company the slip, and retreating to a pri- 
vate nook in the rear of the house, stretched myself 
on a bench, with my head reclining against a wash- 
tub, containing some four or five gallons of water. 

Now whether it was the liquor of which I had 
been drinking so liberally that produced drowsi- 
ness, or whether my nerves had been overcome from 



370 Five Years Before the Mast. 

the loss of sleep during the preceding night, I know 
not, but from some cause or other, I immediately 
sunk into a sound sleep, in which my fancy was 
troubled with wild visions of storms, and shipwrecks 
of the sea. 

I fancied myself on a second voyage to Naples. 
The capes of the bay had already been weathered, 
when the wind, which for several days had been 
blowing from the south, commenced pouring down 
in a frightful hurricane, and driving us upon the 
coast, in dangerous proximity with the shore. All 
the sail that could possibly be spread on the vessel, 
was now set ; the yards were braced sharp up to 
the wind ; and the brave old Fairfield, turning her 
nose up into the eye of the tempest, staggered 
off, as if determined to extricate herself from her 
perilous situation. Headland after headland flew 
by with amazing rapidity, until the last point was 
weathered, and the crew began to congratulate each 
other on having obtained a secure offing, when the 
steersman suddenly put hard up his helm, and 
rounded off the ship in the direction of the shore. 
The yards flew round as if by magic ; and the strug- 
gling vessel, bowing to the blast scudded away be- 
fore it with fearful velocity. 

" Luff her up again !" shouted I, to the helmsman, 
who moved the wheel one spoke, but without pro- 
ducing any visible change in the movement of the 
vessel. 

I mounted the capstan to scan the coast we were 



Five Years Before the Mast. 371 

so rapidly nearing. About two miles to leeward, 
I beheld a large reef of rocks, extending far into 
the sea, and against which the angry breakers were 
rearing their huge heads, and hurling back their 
white caps in frosty spray, as if in defiance of the 
hurricane. - Between this and the shore the sea 
was perfectly smooth ; but I saw at a glance the 
utter impossibility of scaling such an immense bar- 
rier. But might there not be an opening in the 
ledge ? I strained my sight in search of the de- 
sired passage, but all to no purpose. 

Suddenly a dark and heavy looking cloud gath- 
ered directly over the reef — a mighty roar of wind 
was distinctly audible amid the howling of the 
ocean tempest, while a bright flash of lightning, 
bursting from the heavens, streamed along the 
horizon, lighting up both sea and land in a flame 
of fire. The ship, as if frightened by the terrific 
peal of thunder that followed, swept onward in the 
direction of the shore with a tenfold speed. My 
blood curdled in my veins as we neared the fright- 
ful reef, and turning again towards the helmsman, 
I exclaimed, in a voice of desperation : 
" Luff! luff! for heaven's sake, luff I" 
Again I looked towards the shore, but my head 
grew dizzy. The huge breakers rose directly 
under the jibboom, their white caps dancing for a 
moment in the air, and then hurling themselves to 
windward with a fury that sent the mist and spray 
showering into my face. I sprang from the cap- 



372 Five Yeaes Before the Mast. 

stan to the wheel, but it was too late. A tremen- 
dous crash and a grating noise, that made the ship 
quake from stem to stern, decided our fate. The 
mainmast went by the board, and fell across the 
forecastle. I turned towards the cabin — a mon- 
strous sea reared itself up astern, and came sweep- 
ing over the deck, bearing in its course both cabin 
and helm. To save myself, I grasped at the end 
of a brace that hung dangling from a belaying pin, 
but missing it, I was hurled violently to the deck, 
and buried beneath the crumbling fragments of the 
wreck. 

"Mercy! mercy !" exclaimed I. 

" Mercy it is," answered the familiar voice of 
Stephens. 

"Where are you, Nat?" 

"In Georgetown, blast your eyes; where are 
you?" 

" Under the timbers, Nat ; is'nt this an awful 
wreck?" 

" Yes — beats the devil ! Every thing stoved to 
splinters." 

"All hands lost, Nat?" 

"No, nothing lost but the tub." 

"I told him to luff, but he 'wouldn't," conti- 
nued I. 

"No, nor I never knowed a jackass as would 
luff by being hollered at," replied Stephens. "But 
come, come, you lubber ; don't be rolling here like 



Five Years Before the Mast. 373 

a mud turtle. Get up, and come in the house — 
your shipmates are waiting for you." 

" No use — can't get ashore at any rate." 

" Can't get ashore ? Why, bugger his top- 
lights, what does the fellow mean ? He must be 
dreaming. Hillo here, bohoys, all hands unmoor 
ship ! Do you hear that, you lubberly street 
swabber ?" 

The shout of Stephens, and the rough shake he 
gave me, aroused my blunted senses from the 
stupor into which they had fallen ; and on opening 
my eyes, which I found strangely dripping with 
water, my looks were met by a grim visage, almost 
as frightful in appearance as the horrible dream 
from which I had just awakened. 

"Why, heavens, Stephens, what's all this?" ex- 
claimed I, staring wildly in the fearful face that 
was bending over me. 

" Why, don't you know the features of your own 
jackass?" answered Stephens, laughing immode- 
rately at my surprise. 

"Ah, yes, I see now," said I, "but how in the 
world did he get here ?" 

" Why, Parkhill tied him to the bench leg, to 
stand guard over his defunct master, and to keep 
the soldiers from picking your pockets." 

" And to upset me, I suppose, break the bench, 

and make shipwreck of the tub. Very considerate 

of him, indeed ! I see through it all now," said I, 

endeavoring to laugh, but with little inclination to 

32 



874 Five Years Before the Mast. 

enjoy the joke. " However, say nothing abotr*/ it', 
Nat ; my turn for retaliation may come some day, 
and if I don't meet him with an equal trick, it will 
be because he can't be made as drunk as he was at 
Naples, that's all" 

Stephens and I, mounting into our saddles,, 
trotted off to Port Mahon, leaving our shipmates 
still enjoying themselves in their noisy revel in 
Georgetown. The remainder of the day was passed 
in rambling about the streets, and visiting the 
markets. At night we repaired to a fandango in 
Castle street, where near thirty girls were assem- 
bled, in company with an equal number of sailors 
and young men of the city. The soldiers, attracted 
to the spot by the sound of music, collected by 
degrees in a crowd about the door. As the night 
advanced, an altercation arose in the street, in 
consequence of some of the soldiers attempting to 
rob a sailor. A dozen bluejackets flew to the 
rescue of their shipmate, and repulsed the soldiers. 
The latter, soon returning with increased numbers, 
and armed for a more formidable fray, made an 
attempt to drive the sailors from the street. The 
riot now became general. All the sailors fled from 
the ballroom into the street, where they met with 
a warm reception from the soldiers, who made a 
free use of their knives, as well as their muskets. 
Several shots were fired, one of which took effect 
in the arm of a seaman from the Brandywine, 
while a French sailor, who had joined in with the 



Five Years Before the Mast. 375 

Yankee party, had his cheek laid open from the 
cut of a sabre. The sailors, finding the fracas 
growing too hot for men destitute of arms, were 
compelled to yield the ground, and making a hasty 
retreat, were pursued by the soldiers in every 
direction. 

After running near two squares along the street 
I was met by a party of three soldiers in front. 
Dreading the consequences cf an attempt to pass 
them, I darted into a narrow alley, with the hope 
of concealing myself until they had gone by. But 
they had observed my movements, and rushed up 
the alley in pursuit. I hastened on in the dark- 
ness, blundering over endless obstructions, and at 
last discovered, to my increased alarm, that the 
place in which I had sought refuge was an enclosed 
court, destitute of any opening at the opposite ex- 
tremity. Fully determined to sell my life as dearly 
as possible, I took my stand against a closed door 
opening into the court, and, though armed with 
nothing more deadly than a bayonet that I had 
wrenched from the musket of one of my former 
assailants, awaited with a desperate resolution the 
approach of my foes. They groped their way on- 
ward in the dark, muttering deadly imprecations 
on the insolent " Americanos/ ' and finally disco- 
vering me in my retreat, rushed exultingly upon 
me with brickbats and stones. I had aimed my 
weapon for a deadly thrust at the breast of the 
nearest assailant, when the door against which I 



376 Five Years Before the Mast. 

had taken shelter suddenly opened, and a hand, 
seizing my arm, drew me inside. Quick as thought 
the door was again closed, while the soldiers with- 
out thundered against it with renewed vociferations. 
My thoughts were completely bewildered. I saw 
nothing — heard nothing. The hand that had 
rescued me from danger had let go my arm, and 
on looking around all was dark and silent. I 
attempted to speak, when the word "hist!" fell in 
a whisper on my ear, and then all became again 
quiet as the grave. Presently a step approached, 
and my arm being again grasped by an unseen 
hand, I was drawn along until I found myself in 
contact with a stairway. 

" Up, up," was again whispered in my ear, and 
following the direction of the wall I mounted 
quietly upward. 

On gaining the upper floor, I soon stumbled 
against a bed, at which point I was left to myself, 
while the footsteps of my invisible guide receded 
in the direction of the stairs. The soldiers had, in 
the meantime, ceased their knocking at the door, 
though I still heard voices in the court below. With 
mingled feelings of surprise and curiosity, I seated 
myself on the bedside resolved to await patiently the 
denouement of these mysterious proceedings. That 
I was in a bedroom was evident enough, but what 
were its dimensions, or who its inmates, the dark- 
ness of the place precluded me from determining. 
Long I sat in anticipation of a light, but no light 



Five Years Before the Mast. 377 

came ; and as hour stole upon hour without bring- 
ing any relief to my anxiety, I stretched myself 
on the bed with a vain endeavor to compose myself 
to slumber. Twenty times I started up, with an 
intention to seek an egress to the street, but was as 
often deterred from the undertaking by the oppres- 
sive gloom that hung like a pall of death over 
every thing around me. 

'Well," thought I, at last, "let me be where I 
will, I am certainly under the protection of friends," 
and drawing a cheering consolation from this reflec- 
tion, I once more resigned myself to the arms of 
Morpheus, and was soon lost in a sound sleep. 

How many hours were passed in happy forget- 
fulness I know not, but when I awoke my eyes were 
greeted by a faint glimmer of light glancing from 
the side of a small window fronting the court. 
Feeble as were the rays, they nevertheless rendered 
objects around me discernible. The apartment, 
though small, had evidently been arranged with an 
eye to comfort. The fixtures, however, were scanty, 
and besides the bed consisted only of a few chairs, 
a rush carpet, and an elegant mirror. A small 
table also graced one side of the apartment, pre- 
senting a display of empty wine bottles and a glass 
vase, the latter of which was crowned with a 
bouquet of artificial flowers. 

Finding myself still alone, and hearing no noise 
about the house, I rose quietly from the bed and 
withdrew the blind from the window. The morn- 



378 Five Years Before the Mast. 

ing was already far advanced, and the sunlight 
streamed into the apartment with a brilliancy that 
lighted up every object around me. On turning 
round my eyes rested on some one asleep on a 
mafctrasSj and on a closer scrutiny I discovered that 
it was a female. Abashed and agitated at finding 
myself thus unexpectedly alone with a lady in her 
sleeping apartment, I hesitated how to act. After 
some deliberation I concluded, however, that follow 
what might, there could be no harm in taking a 
momentary peep at her face, and kneeling cau- 
tiously at the side of the couch, I traced with 
trembling curiosity every visible portion of her 
features. So much loveliness I had not before 
seen in any one of her countrywomen. Her slen- 
der neck and well-rounded shoulders were of the 
most captivating mould, and rivalled in whiteness 
the loveliest of American belles. 

" Can it be possible," muttered I, " that I am 
indebted to this beautiful creature for my safety, 
and perhaps even for my life." 

My words dispelled the enchantment. A slight 
rustling of the mattrass followed, her head rose up, 
her eyes opened, and the sleeping beauty was 
awake. 

Both started simultaneously ; both sat apart 
regarding each other in mutual silence, and it 
would have required a third person to tell which 
blushed with the deeper confusion. She was the 
first to break the silence. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 379 

" You no be afraid ?" said she, her face relaxing 
into a smile. 

" No, I am not afraid now" answered I, "though 
I was while you were asleep. Every thing appeared 
so strange and .unaccountable. Can you tell me to 
whom I am indebted for my timely rescue last 
night?" 

" Say nossing about it," replied she, confusedly. 
" De soldiers no kill you now." 

" No, I have no fear of them killing me in open 
daylight ; but tell me was it you who opened the 
door — was it your hand that drew me in the house 
and led me up stairs ?" 

" Yes, me hear de soldiers in de street, and hear 
you at de door, and den me run down stairs and 
save-e you." 

" And- that too without knowing who or what I 
was ?" 

" No, me know you ; me ask-e your name at de 
fandango." 

" But it was dark in the court — how could you 
recognize me there V 9 

" Me follow you from de fandango, and see you 
run down de alley." 

"Followed me!" exclaimed I. "What could 
induce you to follow a total stranger ?" 

Tire girl blushed deeply at the question, and 
after some hesitation muttered a reply. 

" De womens say you has no friend aboard the 
scip." 



380 Five Years Before the Mast. 

" Indeed, no female friend, eh ! And so I presume 
you follow me to become my friend — is it so V 9 

She made no reply, but the smile that struggled 
through her blushes, gave an affirmative assent to 
my question. 

"Well, I am really very much obliged to the 
women, for their generous consideration/ ' said I ; 
"and your timely aid in rescuing me from the 
rage of the soldiers, places me under a thousand 
fold deeper obligations to yourself. What return 
can I make you, as a first token of my friendship ?" 

"Nada! nada!" said she, in her own language, 
and shaking her head tnoughtfully. 

"Nothing, indeed? Is there no kind act — no 
little present, you can think of, that would be 
pleasing to you ? Can you not give me some oppor- 
tunity of returning the gratitude my heart feels 
bound to award you?" 

She remained silent, and for a full minute I 
watched her face, which was working with variable 
emotions. Her eyes were bent upon her lap, and 
presently tears stole forth. Again she ventured 
to speak in English, but it was with the confusion 
of one, who felt a humiliation in her own words. 

" Suppose-e you like, when you sometimes comes 
from the scip, you please give-e me— 

The sentence died unfinished on her lips, and 
she hastily averted her face. 

" Give you what V ' said I encouragingly. " Is 
it money?" 



Five Years Before the Mast. 381 

The pressure of the hand that followed my 
words, convinced me, that I had not been wrong 
in my conjecture. 

"Enough!" exclaimed I, "If money is what 
you want, you shall not wait for it till another leave 
of absence from the ship," and drawing my purse 
from my bosom, I emptied the contents in her lap. 
" There are three dollars at your service, and were 
ir three times three, you should be welcome to it 
all. And there," added I, slinging the purse after 
it, " take that to put it in. Were it my last dollar 
in the world, I would cheerfully share it with you." 

Her looks brightened, as she turned over the 
money in her lap, and the nervous agitation of her 
fingers, told how opportunely came the gift. She 
insisted on me receiving one half back ; but I was 
peremptory in forcing the whole purse upon her, 
conditioning, however, with her, to furnish me a 
breakfast out of the contents. To this she readily 
assented ; and on my expressing a wish to have it 
prepared as soon as possible, in order to make an 
early return to the ship, we both tripped off to the 
kitchen, where charcoal, pans, cauliflower, eggs, 
and herrings were successively called in requisition, 
and a bright prospect of Spanish cookery, immedi- 
ately opened in perspective before me. 

While breakfast was preparing, an old crone 
walked into the apartment, whose wrinkled brow, 
pinched up visage, and tattered dress, betokened a 
life of privation and want. She spoke in Spanish ; 



882 Five Years Before the Mast. 

and after a profusion of nods, winks, exclamations 
and crosses to my young hostess, she drew a chair 
forward, and seating herself directly in front of 
me, commenced a minute scrutiny of my person. 
Having examined me from head to foot, and satis- 
fied herself from numerous twitchings of my jacket 
and neck handkerchief that I actually was a live 
Yankee, she drew my hand in hers, and clasping 
it tightly with her bony fingers, asked me what I 
thought of Frank. 

n Who is Frank ?" inquired I. "Is he one of 
the soldiers ?" 

"Bah! Diablo! Me no talk-e de soldads !" 
exclaimed she, contemptuously. " Frank ! Frank ! 
You no comprehend de gall," added she, pointing 
her finger to the young lady. 

" Is her name Frank V 9 inquired I. 

" Si, senor ! Me always talk-e de name Frank, 
otro peoples call-e she Francisca." 

I soon discovered that my wretched looking 
interrogator, was no greater nor less a person, 
than Frank's own mother ; and on my expressing, 
in warm terms, my admiration of her daughter, 
she was transported into a sudden fit of good 
humor, and grew so garrulous on the strength of 
it, that before breakfast was half over, she even 
made me a proposal of her daughter in marriage. 
Frank was exceedingly confused, and endeavored 
to silence her, but she still chattered on in her own 
silly way, and persisted in having my answer to the 



Five Years Before the Mast. 883 

proposal. Finding myself constrained to say some- 
thing, I told her that in my present circumstances 
I was wholly unprepared to marry — that it would, 
in fact, be a serious undertaking, while so far 
away from my own country — and that, as it was 
an act which could not easily be recalled when 
once entered into, she must give me ample time to 
study the matter over. My request appeared so 
reasonable that the old lady agreed to allow me 
six weeks to make up my mind, during which time 
I was to procure leave of absence from the ship 
as often as possible and endeavor to visit Frank 
once a week. This arrangement being in no way 
objectionable to any of the parties concerned, all 
assented to it, and the subject was permitted to 
rest for the present. 

On ascertaining the time of day, I found that I 
had already overstayed my furlough from the 
ship, and began to feel a little uneasiness as to the 
consequences. I was hence necessarily compelled 
to take a hasty leave of my new friends. With a 
warm pressure of the hand, and a smile from Frank, 
together with an actual hug from the old woman, I 
issued into the court, and hastening down Castle 
street, made the best of my way to the navy 
yard. 

During the following month some considerable 
changes were made among the officers of the squad- 
ron. Our first lieutenant, Mr. Whittle, having been 
invalided on our return from Naples, took up his 



884 Five Yeaes Before the Mast. 

residence on shore. This occurrence would have 
placed Mr. Boyle second in command. But the 
latter gentleman, having been appointed as first lieu- 
tenant of the Preble, Mr. Hunter, our third lieuten- 
ant, was installed in the office of Mr. Whittle. Mr. 
Lannier, our sailing master, having been promoted to 
a lieutenancy, was transferred to the Brandywine, 
and a passed midshipman named Williamson was sent 
to take his place, as master, on board the Fairfield, 

The reader has been informed in a former chap- 
ter, that Mr. Lannier hired me to write the ship's 
log ; and for the services I had rendered in this 
department of his duties, he paid me six dollars, at 
Naples. Mr. Williamson, however, deeming it 
incumbent on a foremast hand, to do just whatever 
an officer bid him, objected to giving me any con- 
sideration, whatever, for the same duties, and to 
meet him on his own grounds, I objected to the per- 
formance of the duties, under any consideration, 
whatever. My refusal drew some abusive language 
from the new master, in which he tried to frighten 
me into submission, by threatening to report me to 
the first lieutenant. * I told him to crack his whip, 
and go ahead, for I would see both him and his 
log-book to Davy Jones' locker, before I would 
scratch another stroke of the pen in it. 

As might be expected, I was soon arraigned be- 
fore Mr. Hunter for insolence. I made a plain 
statement of the case to our new first lieutenant, 
and excused myself, on the plea, that Mr. William- 



Five Tears Before the Mast. 385 

son, by repeated provocations, had forced insolent 
language from me — that it was the master's mate's 
duty to write the log — and that my duties on the 
forecastle, were of so arduous a nature, as to require 
my presence, at all times, in that part of the ship. 

Mr. Hunter immediately negatived the complaint 
of the master, and told him to hand his log-book 
over to Mr. Tripp, and let him attend to the writing 
of it. 

"Mr. Tripp cannot write," said the master. 

" Then he has no business with the office," an- 
swered Mr. Hunter. "If he cannot discharge its 
duties, turn him out of it, and put a man there who 
can." 

" That is for the captain to attend to, and not 
me," observed the master. 

" Then make your complaint to the proper au- 
thority, instead of me," replied the first lieutenant. 

Mr. Williamson was compelled to make his re- 
treat to the steerage, and betake himself in search 
of a new clerk, without enjoying the satisfaction of 
seeing me punished. 

But though I had thus beaten off Mr. William- 
son in his first complaint, and relieved myself from 
a duty, which at best was not a very agreeable one, 
I was not long in discovering that I had but little 
to boast of in my victory. The new master had, 
from the commencement of our misunderstanding, 
become my most implacable enemy, and spared no 
opportunity of annoying me. More than once he 
33 



386 Five Years Before the Mast. 

condescended to step aside from the routine of his 
own duties, with the prospect of catching me trip- 
ping in some petty violation of discipline, by which 
he hoped to draw upon me the vengeance of the 
captain. But I understood him; and though I 
hated him with as hearty a good will as he did me, 
I could not forbear pitying the littleness of that 
spirit which could induce him to seek a mean re- 
venge on a common sailor, by peeping around cor- 
ners, and endeavoring to waylay him during hours 
of mirth and amusement. 

Some twenty sailors of us, were one day amusing 
ourselves at a game of quoits in the rear of one of 
the navy buildings, when Mr. Williamson stole un- 
expectedly upon us, and singling me out from 
among the party, observed that I would better be 
white-washing the beef barrels that were lying on 
the wharf, than wasting my time in quoit and 
penny pitching. The party immediately dispersed, 
and I repaired, with the rest, to my employment in 
the store-house. The master soon after entered the 
place where I was at work, and in a very insulting 
manner, demanded of me, why I was not white- 
washing the beef barrels, in accordance with his 
orders. His behavior threw me off my usual 
guard, and I answered in a tone that ill became 
my station. 

"Because, sir, I did'nt see fit to do it, that's 
all." 

" Away, you insolent scoundrel, and do my bid- 



Five k Years Before the Mast. 387 

ding this instant !" exclaimed Mr. Williamson, 
trembling with rage. 

" Thank you, sir ; I have more important busi- 
ness on hand/' said I, touching my hat with the 
most ironical civility. 

" Do you dare to disobey my order, sir ?" cried he. 

"Yes", sir, I do!" 

" Very well, sir ! Very well sir ! That's all I 
wish to know ! We'll see whether you will dare to 
tell me that before Captain Tattnall, on the quar- 
ter-deck," and with bitter denunciations of ven- 
geance, the enraged master stalked out of the rig- 
ging loft. 

"You'll get fetched up,. with a round turn, to 
the tune of one dozen for that," said ParkhilL who 
was working at my elbow. 

" I don't care a French sou if I do," answered 
I. " My time will be out week after next, and I 
would as soon carry home a dozen lashes as not." 

The master proceeded directly to the ship, and 
as the captain had arrived on board a few minutes 
before, I made up my mind to pass the following 
night in double irons. But the evening approached, 
and passed by, without my arrest. The following 
day, two men were placed in limbo for fighting, and, 
in the evening, a third for drunkenness, but still I 
heard nothing in respect to my quarrel with the 
master. 

On the third day, all hands were called to wit- 
ness punishment. Each of the prisoners received 



388 Five Years Before thjb Mast. 

his ratio of lashes according to the nature of his 
crime ; and as the last was re-clothing himself, I 
began to flatter myself with the belief, that my 
offence had been forgotten. Mr. Forester, the new 
boatswain, had put his call to his lips, to pipe a re- 
treat, when Mr. Williamson suddenly appeared on 
deck. His presence appeared to serve as a signal 
for my appearance at the mainmast. The captain 
had me called up, and after recounting the charges 
alleged against me, desired to know what I had to 
say in my own behalf. 

"Not a word, sir," replied I. "Mr. William- 
son's charges are all correct." 

"Your delinquency is then inexcusable," said 
the captain. " Strip, sir, strip." 

I straightway commenced "peeling" for my 
/rations, while many of my shipmates, who were 
not before aware of my offence, witnessed the pro- 
ceedings with surprise. While in the act of re- 
moving my under-clothes, Mr. Hunter insinuated 
himself between the captain and master, and 
addressed the former in an undertone, of which I 
only overheard the word, " unnecessary harshness." 

" It can't be helped," said the captain ; " I must 
punish him." 

"He's a very good man, sir," replied Mr. 
Hunter. 

" But he disobeyed my order," cried the master. 

"True, true," observed the captain, impatiently; 
" he disobeyed Mr. Williamson's orders ; and diso- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 889 

bedience of orders is a breach of discipline which, 
under any circumstances, cannot be excused." 

"In the present instance it might be overlooked," 
continued the first lieutenant. "There can be no 
risk in excusing an exemplary man." 

" Such clemency to even exemplary men, cannot 
safely be granted," replied the captain. " It 
would be setting an open door to similar breaches 
of discipline in future." 

"And, besides, he disobeyed my order," repeated 
Mr. Williamson. 

"I would rather not see him punished," said 
Mr. Hunter, as the quarter-master finished tying 
my hands. 

The captain paused, as if hesitating whether or 
not to proceed. 

" Eemember, sir, he disobeyed my order," again 
chimed in the master, endeavoring to jog the wa- 
vering resolution of the captain. 

"Young man," at length began the captain, 
addressing himself to me, "I have had an eye 
directed particularly to your conduct ever since 
your appearance on board this ship, and I concur 
with Mr. Hunter in saying that I have hitherto 
found it perfectly correct ; and I sincerely regret 
that now when your term of service has so near 
expired, any thing should have occurred making it 
necessary for me to put you to the gangway." 

" Well, Captain Tattnall," replied I, "it is the 

first time I have been at the gangway for a wilful 
33* 



390 Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 

breach of discipline, since my entrance in the navy; 
and I would not be here now, had Mr. Williamson 
addressd his order in language becoming an officer. 
But his rude manner made me angry, and in my 
passion I answered in hasty words that my own 
cooler judgment as well as the law condemns. I 
know, however, that I am guilty, and shall not 
flinch from the penalty. Let the boatswains mate 
do his duty, sir." 

"I am conscious, Captain Tattnall," again inter- 
posed the first lieutenant, "that this is his first 
offence in this ship, and I would regard it as a 
special favor to have him excused." 

" Have it as you wish, then," replied the cap- 
tain. u Quarter-master, cut him loose." 

The knife of old Hull was instantly at my 
wrists, and away went thongs, as well as hands. 
The first lieutenant ordered the retreat to be piped, 
and all hands dispersed, while the disappointed 
master descended to the steerage with a hatred 
ten times more deadly than he had ever cherished 
before. 

On descending to the berth-deck, I alighted on 
my young friend, Mr. Turner, sitting against the 
forward bulk-head of the ship, with his face bathed 
in tears. After some inquiries in respect to the 
cause of his troubles, I discovered that the pseudo 
aristocracy of the steerage, had at last, accom- 
plished their favorite project of bringing the ple- 
beian midshipman into difficulties with his com- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 391 

mander. He had, the previous day, been sent on 
shore in charge of a boat, and two of the men, 
pretending to have an errand into the town, re- 
quested to have a few minutes leave of absence. 
As it was against orders to suffer any man to leave 
the boat, the young midshipman refused their 
request, until advised by an elder midshipman to 
let them go, upon which he finally yielded his con- 
sent to their departure. Neither of them returned 
at the stipulated time ; and after an hour's delay, 
the boat was obliged to retrace its way homeward 
without them. During the passage to the ship, 
the elder officer, in pretended commiseration of the 
distress which the absence of the two men was occa- 
sioning Turner, told him to report them to the first 
lieutenant as having run away. Turner incau- 
tiously followed the advice of his wily messmate ; 
and no sooner had his report become known in the 
steerage, than his enemies laid a full detail of the 
facts before the commander, in as aggravated a form 
as they dared well present it. As an unavoidable 
consequence, Turner was suspended from duty, and 
two charges were preferred against him for inves- 
tigation ; one for disobedience of orders, and the 
other for having made a false report to his com- 
manding officer. 

I saw at once that Mr. Turner's case was one 
of too serious a nature for me to afford him any 
aid in it. That it would be referred to the inves- 
tigation of a court martial, appeared unquestiona- 



392 Five Years Before the Mast. 

ble ; and so deep a conviction had the poor boy of 
a final suspension from the service, that he had 
already, in a manner, made up his mind to antici- 
cipate his sentence by running away from the 
squadron. He had fixed an eye on the French 
navy, and thought of trying to obtain admittance 
there. I deemed these wild notions as being the 
mere fanciful whims of a boy, and advised him to 
stick to the old Fairfield as long as he was not dis- 
missed, and so long as two of her timbers were 
hanging together. But he was inconsolable ; and 
though I talked, and endeavored to reason with 
him, he still persisted in having his cry out. As 
the boatswain's call had already sounded to din- 
ner, I was obliged to leave him to himself. Poor 
fellow ! It was the last conversation I ever had 
with him ; and though years have since fled, and 
at times his sad tearful eyes, have risen before me 
in my nightly visions, his subsequent career re- 
mains to me as deep a mystery as the hidden se- 
crets of unborn time. 



Gtj^pfei* -Itoei(|il|~Fii*§f. 



In which the Adventurer abandons the Mess-Room of Uncle Sam, 
and takes up a brief residence on the Island of Minorca. 

Before the court-martial had been convened that 
was to decide upon the official career of the unfor- 
tunate Turner, the 12th of January, 1842, arrived. 
This was the day on which the tocsin of personal 
independence was once more to be sounded in my 
ears. My time was out. The three years of trans- 
fers, bean soup, and salt junJc, had at last ceased ; 
the reign of terror and cat-o J -nine-tails was over, 
and I was about to stalk once more into the world 
an unfettered American citizen. Mr. Hunter was 
the first to call the subject to notice, and having 
ascertained from the books of the purser that my 
time had actually expired, proceeded to communi- 
cate the important intelligence to the commander 
of the ship. The captain soon appeared on deck, 
and sent a committee in the form of a boatswain's- 
mate to conduct me to the mainmast. A crowd of 
sailors had preceded me aft to witness the inter- 
view. On presenting myself before the captain, he 
requested to know what I intended to do. 

" Sir," replied I, " when I solicited an exchange 
at Hampton Roads, in Virginia, you denied my 

(393) 



394 Five Years Before the Mast. 

request. I told you then that I would quit the 
service as soon as my time expired. My resolu- 
tion is still unchanged, and my intention now is to 
return home. ,, 

" I would like very well to gratify your wish, if 
circumstances would permit," said the captain; 
" but your services in the ship cannot well be dis- 
pensed with. You must re-enter for the cruise." 

"Never, sir," answered I, firmly. "No possible 
compensation that you can offer will ever induce 
me to re-enter." 

" Then I will be compelled to resort to coercive 
measures," proceeded the captain. " Mr. Forrest, 
you need not make out this man's account, as I 
shall return him immediately to his duty. His 
services, if not important now, will become so in 
the spring, and I shall accordingly detain him at 
my discretion to the end of the cruise. You see," 
added he, again turning to me, "that the law has 
provided a way for commanding your services, 
whether you choose to re-enter or not." 

" But, sir," replied I, " the ship has been in 
commission only a little over eight months, and 
she may yet remain near three years on this sta- 
tion. Will not my detention for such a long period 
of time be equivalent to an impressment ?" 

"Impressment or not impressment, it is the law 
provided by act of Congress, and I but carry 
not its provisions in withholding your discharge. 
You will, therefore, return to your duty, and that 



Five Years Before the Mast. 395 

without grumbling, too, for I shall meet the slight- 
est act of insubordination with a vigorous applica- 
tion of the cats. Do you hear that ?" 

Indeed, I did heai: the words of the captain, and 
their harshness was as unexpected as their import 
was disheartening. All those illusive dreams of 
bliss with which I had indulged my fancy, in antici- 
pation of my discharge, were buried at once in a 
long shade of darkness and night. These few 
brief words fell like a deadening blow on my heart, 
which a moment before had been bounding at the 
prospect of an early re-union with the delights of 
home, and a second entrance into happy compan- 
ionship with long-lost loved ones. All, all those 
hopes were now dissipated by the revolting word 
law, and in their place arose, in scornful prospec- 
tive before me, another three years of toil and 
turbulence, accompanied with every species of pri- 
vation and cruelty. The thing seemed an utter 
impossibility. I looked the captain in the face, 
wondering in my own mind if he could really mean 
what he said. His countenance was as stern and 
inflexible as the law he invoked. I attempted to 
speak, but it was all up with me. My utterance 
was gone ; my bosom swelled with strange sensa- 
tions, and turning my face hastily aside to conceal 
my emotion, I burst into tears. 

On the disappearance of the captain in the 
cabin, I regained command of my feelings, and 
felt extremely mortified at having suffered myself 



396 Five Years Before the Mast. 

to be overcome by such boyish weakness. My 
shipmates, who appeared to sympathize deeply in 
my disappointment, gathered round me in the 
gangway, and gave expression to various comments 
on the recent scene, which all freely acknowledged 
to be one of the most extraordinary cases of deten- 
tion they had ever heard tell of. In a few minutes 
the discourse was interrupted by one of the stew- 
ards, who brought me word that the first lieutenant 
desired my presence in the ward-room. On repair- 
ing below, I found Mr. Hunter seated at the ward- 
room table in company with the first lieutenant of 
the Preble. Having consulted between themselves 
on the subject of my discharge, both advised me 
to appeal to the commander-in-chief; and as the 
appeal could not be made without the approbation 
of Captain Tattnall, Mr. Boyle insisted on me 
going at once to him, and asking his permission. 
Unhesitatingly I mounted at once to the cabin 
door, and on being announced by the sentry was 
told to walk in. When my errand was explained, 
the captain smiled, and told me that I had his full 
permission to make the appeal ; that he had in fact 
no real intention of detaining me, unless such 
should be the desire of the commodore. These 
words were exceedingly cheering to my mind, and 
I hastened back to the ward-room with a light 
heart. Mr. Hunter immediately ordered the third 
cutter called away to row me on shore, and as I 
descended the side-ladder he observed that I was 



Five Yea&s Before the Mast. 397 

henceforth at liberty to go and come whenever I 
pleased. 

Put a inan-o'-war sailor on shore, and if there 
be a woman within twenty miles who ever favored 
him with three kind words and a smile, no tempta- 
tion will induce him to pause until he sees her. No 
sooner had I touched the landing than all ideas of 
home, of the Fairfield, and of the commander, were 
forgotten in the all-absorbing thought of Francesca 
Mondora. I made a straight wake for Castle street, 
and in less than ten minutes entered the little 
court where a month before I had taken shelter 
from the Spanish soldiers. For more than three 
weeks I had received no intelligence of the lady. 
I approached the door of her little dwelling with a 
palpitating heart, and opened it cautiously- — she 
was there. I bounded into the apartment, and in 
an instant we were locked in each other's arms. , 

"Frank,"- said I, trembling with delight, and 
putting a dollar into her hand as I released her ; 
"take that and buy two bottles of wine, and a 
dinner for you and me, and let us have a ' blow-out,' 
for I am a free man!" 

My fair friend received the gift with eyes spark- 
ling with pleasure, and glided joyously from the 
apartment. In a few minutes a sumptuous sup- 
ply of wine and cakes was paraded forth on her 
little table, and both seated ourselves to a happy 
repast. 

There was something so agreeable in chatting 
34 



898 Five Years Before the Mast. 

with a pretty young woman, that I was induced to 
delay my intended visit to the commodore from 
time to time, until the advancing day admonished 
me of the necessity of action. The thought also 
recurred that I was not yet discharged from the 
ship, and that my present leave of absence was 
granted with a view to business, rather than to 
pleasure. My return on board might, moreover, 
be anticipated by the captain, under whose control 
I still felt myself, and hence I began to think it 
prudent to defer my matters of love to a more 
appropriate season. Frank, who was willing to 
forego any personal gratification on her own part, 
rather than see me bring myself into difficulty with 
my commander, no sooner learned the object of 
my errand, than she began to reproach both her- 
self and me for having suffered so many hours to 
pass away unimproved. With a mutual embrace, 
and a promise oil my part to see her again at the 
earliest opportunity, I left her, and proceeded on 
my way to the residence of the commodore. 

On retiring into winter quarters, the commodore 
had abandoned the squadron, and taken up his 
residence on shore. His mansion was situated in 
one of the most elegant portions of the city ; and 
as I was personally acquainted with his cook and 
steward, I felt confident of meeting with a favora- 
ble welcome in his establishment, so far, at least, 
as his domestics were concerned. On opening the 
kitchen door, I discovered the cook kicking round, 



Five Years Before the Mast. 899 

and smacking his fists among the culinary in the 
most delightful confusion, and giving utterance to 
a tirade of sacres and diables, in all the bitterness 
of French anger. Surprised at his extravagant 
behavior, I ventured to ask him what was the 
matter, upon which he flourished a huge carving 
knife two or three times round his head, kicked up 
his heels, and giving a valedictory oath, threw 
himself backward, puffing and blowing into a 
chair. 

"Ah!" exclaimed he, "de commodore be deter- 
mine to kil-le me ! Yesterday he discharg-ee de 
steward — dis day he send away de otre sarvant, 
and now he ma-kee me de cook, de steward, de 
body sarvant, de every ting. Ah, me no stan-dee 
him ! Me no more be able to lif de one hand above 
de otre !" 

"Well," answered I, "you cooks have always a 
greater freedom of action than we sailors have. 
If your master discharges all his other servants, 
and imposes their duties on you, why don't you 
retaliate on your master by dismissing him ?" 

" Ah ! oui, monsieur sailor, but dat ma-kee de 
grand miser-ee ! De commodore mak-ee me work 
very much; but where you supo-see me trad-ee 
she off for one bettre master ?" 

My notion coincided with that of the cook, that 
a better master than Commodore Morgan was not 
easily to be found ; and after commenting on the 
many indulgences with which his excellency had 



400 Five Years Before the Mast. 

favored his steward, and which had finally led the 
latter to trespass on the liberality of his master, 
the cook became so far reconciled to his hard fate, 
as to think that by the use of a little medicine in 
the shape of good Madeira wine, he might possibly 
keep himself alive a few days longer. A bottle 
was accordingly brought forth, and after each of 
us had partaken liberally of the sparkling contents, 
I disclosed to the cook the object of my visit. 
Monsieur Cook-ee shook his head doubtfully, and 
observed that I could not have timed my errand at 
a more unfortunate period— that the commodore 
had been in an angry mood ever since the banish- 
ment of his faithless servants — and that his temper 
had that afternoon been rendered still more irasci- 
ble by a quarrel which had broken out between 
him and preacher Stewart, the chaplain of the 
squadron. 

" Well," said I, after some hesitation, " an- 
nounce me at all events ; for let the result be what 
it will, I am determined to know it." 

The cook at once mounted the stairs, and after 
an absence of a few minutes returned. He twisted 
his head with a grave look, and snapping his fingers 
significantly over his left shoulder, motioned for 
me to go up. 

I ascended to the audience chamber with a beat- 
ing heart. The commodore, a fine, portly person- 
age, of quite a prepossessing appearance, was 
pacing the room, with his hands locked behind 



Five Years Befoke the Mast. 401 

him under the skirts of his coat. Without seem- 
ing to notice my presence, he nodded towards a 
chair. 

"lam told by the cook that you are from the 
Fairfield," said he, still pacing the room. 

"Yes, sir, I am/' answered I. "Captain Tatt- 
nall has given me permission to refer a little busi- 
ness to you, on the subject of my discharge." 

"I think your request is rather premature," 
said the commodore, pausing in his walk. " The 
ship has not yet been nine months from home, 
and it seems to imply a want of perseverance in 
any sailor, to desire a dismissal at so early a 
date." 

I perceived from this reply that the commander- 
in-chief was unacquainted with my case, and hence 
I now briefly detailed to him the circumstances 
under which I had entered the Brazilian squadron 
at Rio Janeiro— the manner in which I had been 
deceived by Commodore Nicholson at New York — - 
my transfer to the command of Captain Gallagher, 
on board the North Carolina— -my cruise on the 
coast of Labrador, in the sloop Preble — my en- 
trance and services on board the line of battle-ship 
Columbus, at Boston-— my subsequent transfer and 
services on board the Fairfield— and not omitting 
the mention of the further fact, that Captain Tatt- 
nall now talked of detaining me to the end of the 
Fairfield's cruise. 
34* 



402 Five Years Before the Mast. 

The commodore paused, and for a moment re- 
garded me with an incredulous look. 

"Does Captain Tattnall know that you have 
been all these rounds ?" inquired he. 

" He cannot plead ignorance in the matter," re- 
plied I; a for I made a full statement of the facts 
to him at Hampton Roads, in Virginia, and again 
recalled them to his recollection to-day." 

"The Navy Department should never have sent 
you out here," observed the commodore, resuming 
his walk ; " and Captain Tattnall is certainly not 
excusable for attempting to detain you. There is 
a difficulty in getting you home from here," added 
he, thoughtfully. " However, that shall not hinder 
you from obtaining your discharge. Go directly 
on board the ship, and tell your captain to discharge 
you forthwith. Mind you say forthwith, and tell 
him that J said so/' 

"I will, sir," replied I, retreating instantly from 
the room. 

On reaching the foot of the stairs, I heard the 
voice of the commodore calling after me to come 
back. I hastily retraced my way to his apartment, 
and awaited his pleasure. 

He seated himself at a table, and after writing 
a few lines to Captain Tattnall, observed. 

" Take from the purser what money you may think 
necessary to pay your expenses home, and bring 
the accounts for the balance of your wages to me, 
that I may attest them to the Navy Department. 



Five Tears Before the Mast. 403 

The French commander of this port, will, any time, 
at my request, furnish you a gratuitous passage to 
France. At Marseilles, the American Consul will 
aid you in procuring a homeward bound ship ; but 
be careful to take a receipt for the amount of mo- 
ney you pay the captain of the ship in which you 
take passage. On arriving in the United States, 
you will present my letter, together with your ac- 
counts, and the receipt, to the Secretary of the 
Navy, at Washington, whose duty it will be, to pay 
you the balance of your wages, as well as to refund 
you the amount of money paid on your passage 
home. Do you understand that advice now?" 

"Yes, sir," replied I, bowing. 

" See that you endeavor to follow it out then — 
not only out of respect to your commander-in-chief, 
but because it is the best possible course for a young 
man in your situation to pursue. There," added 
he, handing the lines he had just written, "present 
that to your captain, and you will no longer hear 
any threat of detention." 

I bowed my thanks, and gliding from the apart- 
ment, hastened down stairs. On issuing into the 
street, I encountered Mr. Hunter, to whom I com- 
municated my success, and showed the order for 
my discharge. He thought it unnecessary for me 
to proceed immediately on board the ship, as Cap- 
tain Tattnall was then dining with Captain Vor- 
heese, on board the sloop Preble, and gave me 
leave to remain on shore until the following day. 



404 Five Years Before the Mast. 

I accepted the indulgence with pleasure ; and as 
business for the day was now in a manner sus- 
pended, I repaired again to Castle, street, and, for 
a time, forgot the world, the navy and its turbu- 
lence, in the smiles of the beautiful Francesca. 

At the approach of night, Frank became desirous 
of having me attend her to a masquerade, which 
was that night going on at the theatre. As I had 
never in my life witnessed an entertainment of that 
kind, I felt very strongly disposed to accompany 
her, but there seemed difficulty to me in respect to 
my clothing. Frank, however, offered soon to over- 
come all obstacles on that score ; and running hastily 
across the street, to a clothier's establishment, she 
soon returned with a well filled bundle of the most 
fanciful fineries. In ten minutes she had me dressed 
out in a scarlet robe, shining with spangles, and 
clapping on my head a rich turban, whose feathers 
swept the ceiling, led me across the room in all the 
magnificence of an eastern prince. 

" Now de face of de grand Sultan," laughed she, 
drawing a mask over my face and tying it behind 
the ears ; " den suppose you shake hands wis you'r 
own captain, he no tell what great man come to de 
masquerade!" 

When all was completed, I took a survey of my 
person in the glass. 

"Frank is. 'right," thought I, "it would puzzle 
the captain, or any body else, to know me in such 
a kilter." 



Five Years Before the Mast. 405 

Frank now hastily adjusted her own dress, which 
was that of a Spanish Gipsy, the boddice being 
trimmed with blue and orange silk, interwoven with 
threads of gold. The skirt terminated a short dis- 
tance below the knee, displaying her slender ankles 
and spangled feet to the most tempting advantage. 
Her hair, which was of the most luxuriant growth, 
descended down her back in two long plaits, from 
the points of which, streamed a profusion of pink 
ribbons, embracing within their folds two miniature 
silver bells, while her blooming cheeks w T ere buried 
beneath a mask, whose inverted lips, crooked nose, 
and wrinkled brow, formed a most ludicrous con- 
trast with her snowy arms and sylph-like figure, as 
she glided across the floor with all the ease and 
grace of an expert danseuse. 

Having at last completed her toilet, Frank, in 
her turn, took a hasty peep at herself in the glass, 
and drawing her arm into mine with a satisfied air, 
the Sultan and the Gipsy directed their way to the 
theatre. 

We found the doors of the house in such a state 
of blockade from the crowd without, that we were 
some time in obtaining admittance ; but when once 
in, the spaciousness of the apartment afforded am- 
ple room to all. Never did I behold a more diversi- 
fied or joyous assembly. Every visage of man and 
beast, and every costume that man and woman, civ- 
ilized or savage ever wore, moved in rapid review 
before me. Kings, priests, and beggars were here 



406 Five Years Before the Mast. 

— fat friars in the act of absolving youthful virgins 
of their sins — old maids and juvenile bachelors 
slily ogling each other through quizzing glasses of 
mammoth dimensions — ancient goddesses flying be- 
fore the ponderous jaws of huge monsters, and 
burying themselves from sight in the winding mazes 
of the dance — nuns, with downcast eyes and solemn 
features were telling over their beads in the face 
of the devil himself, who with wagging tail and 
ears erect, was stealthily fastening his cloven claw 
upon them ; while every avenue presented crowds 
of military and naval officers, many of whom were 
unmasked, and among which the American uniform 
formed no inconsiderable feature. The music was 
charming, the refreshments abundant, and every- 
body appeared to have forgotten the cares and toils 
of life amid the gay throng that filled with joy and 
mirth the passing hours of the night. 

While my gentle partner and I were yet amusing 
ourselves by a walk around the immense hall, the 
band struck up a waltz, and away went near an 
hundred couple, whirling the vast circuit of the 
house in giddy delight. Frank was in testacies. 
She seized my arm and drew me suddenly into 
the throng, and though I knew nothing of the 
dance, round and round I went, fully confident 
that my partner would bring me safely through ; 
and bring me through she did, but with such a 
perfect whirl that when we all came to a stand- 
still with our feet, my head kept spinning onward 



Five Years Before the Mast. 407 

with the velocity of a top. Twice I staggered 
from tha giddy effects of the exercise ; and the 
grand Sultan would most unquestionably have been 
floored outright, had not the nimble arm of the 
experienced Frank, sustained his equilibrium. 

During our second dance, I was accosted two or 
three times by a masked gentleman, who kept his 
attention fixed on Frank. I suspected him to be 
an officer of the American squadron, but as to his 
rank, I, of course, could form no conception. I 
replied to his questions by signs, giving him to 
understand that I could not speak his language, 
but at which he only laughed, and said I could not 
deceive him, as he knew me. My confidence in 
my disguise satisfied me that I was unknown to 
any one in the room, but my partner, and hence I 
persisted in remaining silent to his questions. At 
the conclusion of the dance, he drew me aside into 
one of the passages, and after asking the name of 
Frank, with which I did not choose to acquaint 
him, desired me to unmask. 

" After you, sir, if you please," said I. 

He immediately withdrew his mask, and the 
countenance of Mr. Williamson presented itself 
before me. 

My first thought was to knock him down ; but 
recollecting that I was not yet discharged, I sup- 
pressed my rising passion by a timely effort. I 
felt conscious, however, that so far as language 
was concerned, my position now enabled me to 



408 Five Years Before the Mast. 

meet him on equal terms ; and there seemed some- 
thing pleasant to my feelings in the idea of having 
a hearty quarrel with him. With mingled feelings 
of contempt and indignation, I withdrew my mask, 
accompanying the act with a sailor's most hearty 
salutation. 

" There, inspect my face, blast your eyes, and 
see if you know who I am now." 

But Mr. Williamson had, apparently no disposi- 
tion to quarrel. Though a gentleman of war, he 
was at present strongly inclined for peace. He 
no sooner obtained a glimpse of the face that 
greeted him so nautically, than his name at once 
became Haines, and darting hastily from the pas- 
sage, he disappeared among the throng. 

Before I had quitted the passage, the portly 
figure of Lieutenant Boyle crowded into the en- 
trance, on his way to the adjoining drinking saloon. 
He recognized my face at a glance, and after a 
brief inquiry relative to my success with the com- 
modore, to which I returned a favorable reply, he 
drew me along into the saloon. Here we encoun- 
tered Captain Guysinger, of the frigate Brandy- 
wine, to whom Mr. Boyle introduced me as a 
particular friend of his. The captain, who was 
sitting quietly in a chair, smoking a cigar, rose and 
extended his hand, observing at the same time, 
that he was always happy to become acquainted 
with a friend of Mr. Boyle's. I felt extremely 
confused at such an unexpected introduction, but 



Five Years Before the Mast. 409 

endeavored to mutter some kind of compliment in 
reply. Mr. Boyle, with a comic look, relieved my 
distress by calling for some wine ; and a bottle 
and glasses being placed on a table near us, we all 
three seated ourselves. 

The conversation that ensued, was at first lim- 
ited to the entertainments of the evening, but by 
degrees it changed to other topics, and the sloop 
Fairfield and her commander, being finally brought 
upon the tapis, Mr. Boyle observed that Captain 
Tattnall had very unjustly attempted to detain me 
on board his ship. 

"Your friend here ?" exclaimed Captain Guy- 
singer, in surprise. "In what way was he con- 
nected with the Fairfield ?" 

"As one of her crew," observed Mr. Boyle. 
"He came with her from the United States." 

"But in what capacity?" inquired the captain. 
" I do not recollect of ever before having seen his 
face among the Fairfield's officers." 

" Quite likely not," replied Mr. Boyle, " for he 
■ was one of the foremast hands. His station was — 
let me see — I think it was on the forecastle, was 
it not ?" added he, turning to me for an explana- 
tion. 

Before I could make any answer, Captain Guy- 
singer sprang from his seat, and casting a signifi- 
cant look at Mr. Boyle, which seemed to rebuke 
him for having presumed to compromise the dig- 
nity of a naval captain, by an introduction to a 
35 



410 Five Years Before the Mast. 

common Jack tar, retreated hastily from the sa- 
loon. 

Mr. Boyle, perceiving that I blushed at the idea 
of my presence having offended the commander of 
the Brandy wine, laughed heartily, and filling out 
two fresh glasses of wine, handed one over to me. 

"Drink that," said he, "and be merry at my 
expense, for the joke is worth a treat. The cap- 
tain, you see, like many another of my naval 
friends, cannot appreciate merit unless it appears 
before him clothed with a commission and epau- 
lettes." 

I drank the wine as a parting glass to Mr. 
Boyle. A few days more were to find me far from 
the squadron, and it was questionable whether I 
would again see him before my departure. Hence 
I could not forego the present opportunity of 
expressing to him my sincere thanks for the 
repeated acts of unaffected kindness with which 
he had favored me. A warm pressure of the 
hand, as we both rose from the table, was his only 
reply, but it was a farewell language that sent a 
deeper thrill through my soul than the most com- 
plimentary words could have done. Twelve long 
years have glided away since that parting hour ; 
but there still exists a green spot in the heart of 
the humble sailor, whom his kindness once blest, 
nourishing forever a dewy tear to his remem- 
brance. 

On returning to the ball-room I encountered 



Five Years Before the Mast. 411 

Frank, who, like me, had removed her mask, and 
was then engaged in a dance with Mr. Hunter. I 
drew aside, and threw myself on a seat in one of 
the stage boxes. At the conclusion of the dance 
the young lady sought me out, and both having 
become weary of the entertainment, we soon left 
the theatre together, and returned home. 

The following morning, at the hour of nine, I 
repaired on board the Fairfield. Captain Tattnall 
was at his post, and the purser having been sum- 
moned to the cabin, I presented the order for my 
discharge. The sum of sixty dollars, which I 
deemed sufficient to defray my expenses home, was 
immediately counted down to me ; and while the 
purser's steward was engaged in making out a 
transcript of my accounts, I proceeded to gath- 
ering up my personal effects, and arranging them 
in a chest provided for me through the kindness of 
the carpenter. 

All things being finally completed for leaving, I 
began to take my farewell of the ship's company, 
who were on all sides crowding round me, and pre- 
senting letters to be conveyed to their respective 
friends in America. The deep interest and sym- 
pathy which my departure was every where elici- 
ting, became exceedingly touching to my feelings. 
Officers as well as men were grasping my hands, 
and heaping upon me their best wishes, while my 
own heart was melting with the tender emotions of 
one about quitting his home and the familiar faces 



412 Five Years Before the Mast. 

of long tried 'friends for unknown adventures 
among strange nations and stranger lands. Three 
days before I had regarded the s*hip Fairfield as an 
absolute prison, from which I longed to be released, 
and now, when I had my discharge in my pocket, 
and was about quitting her decks forever, the 
thought of never seeing her again was so touching 
as to almost melt me into tears. Stephens, for 
whom I had conceived a real friendship, kept near 
me all the time I was packing up my clothes, and 
when my chest was finally conveyed into the boat, 
he stationed himself near the companion ladder. 

"Well, Nat," said I, extending him a parting 
hand as I mounted the steps, " two months more, 
and the blue waves of the broad Atlantic will be 
rolling between our friendship." 

" Would to God that I could accompany you," 
exclaimed he, his face working with the deepest 
emotion. 

"Why so, Nat, are you not happy here ?" said L 

The poor fellow made no reply, but the big tear 
that he dashed hastily from his eye, told me plainly 
enough that his thoughts were even then wandering 
among the far-off cottages of New England. 

"Never mind, Stephens," observed I, cheeringly, 
" the cruise will not last forever. You will return to 
America some day, and we may then be enabled to 
renew our acquaintance under more favorable cir- 
cumstances." 

"Ah! I fear not," answered he, sorrowfully. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 413 

" Some strange misgiving tells me we shall never 
meet in America. I dreamed last night of hearing 
the church bells tolling a funeral knell at home, 
and my heart has been sad ever since. When do 
you leave Port Mahon ?" 

"Not before the latter part of next week." 

" Then I will try and meet you on shore some 
night before your final departure/ ' 

" Do if you can, Nat ; and should you obtain 
leave of absence you can soon hunt me out by 
inquiring after me at our old hotel in Mahon." 

With a wring of the hand that sent a pang to 
my very heart, the young man turned away, and I, 
hastening down the ship's side, was soon in the 
third cutter, and rowed out of sight of the eager 
faces that greeted me with a last token of farewell 
through the gun-ports of the old Fairfield. 



Gfy^pfei* Itoex)fl)~§ecoi(|3. 



In which the Adventures of our young Mechanic draw towards a 
close. 



Ha vino at length obtained my long desired re- 
lease from Uncle Sam's mess-room, I now began 
to direct my attention to the means of accomplish- 
ing my journey to the United States. The com- 
modore had promised to procure me a passage to 
France ; and as a French war steamer had anchored 
in the harbor of Port Mahon the day following my 
discharge, I took upon myself the trouble of ascer- 
taining her place of destination. I was informed 
by the French consul that she was a homeward- 
bound vessel from Algiers, but had been compelled 
to take shelter in the harbor from want of fuel — 
that a cargo of coal from the continent would arrive 
to her relief in a few days, upon which she would 
resume her voyage to Marseilles. These facts I 
communicated to the commodore, who immediately 
attested my accounts, and promising to furnish me 
all my necessary papers on the following day, 
dismissed me with an additional amount of whole- 
some advice. 

Feeling myself and my time now entirely at my 
(414) 



Five Years Before the Mast. 415 

own disposal, I wandered abroad with the feelings 
of a new man, and endeavored to pass my time in 
such amusements as the island presented. The 
greater portion of my first day on shore was spent 
in examining a suit of subterranean vaults on the 
sea coast, at the mouth of the harbor. At night- 
fall I returned into the city, and being attracted 
by the sound of a guitar to a well lighted room, I 
approached the door, which was thrown open for 
the convenience of spectators, and witnessed a 
brilliant company engaged in the favorite fandango. 
While watching the progress of this highly pictu- 
resque dance, a hand was laid on my arm, and on 
turning round, I met the face of my guardian 
angel, Frank. She knew that I had near seventy 
dollars in money on my person, and the dread of 
my being robbed by the profligate soldiers, had 
drawn her forth in search of me. We withdrew to 
a neighboring hotel, where I delivered the cash in 
charge to her, upon which she again left me, and 
retreated to her own dwelling. 

After ordering some refreshments from the bar, 
I threw myself on a settee that stood behind a 
screen, and while the servant was mulling the wine, 
my attention was attracted by a slight bustle at 
the door, and the next moment Stephens walked 
into the apartment. Surprised and delighted, I 
drew two chairs to the table, and calling for addi- 
tional viands to the lunch that now appeared, we 
both seated ourselves to the repast. 



416 Five Years Before the Mast. 

"You're just in time, Nat," said I. "I am 
happy in being able to accommodate you with a 
supper, as well as delighted to see you." 

" I've had one supper to-night already," ob- 
served my friend ; " but I don't care to go a second 
cargo on deviled eggs and Bologna sausages. Pour 
out a bowl of that hot wine, and hand it this way 
for a primer, for I'm blasted cold. Swimming on 
shore in January is not quite so pleasant as diving 
for rock oysters in the dog days." 

"Swimming on shore! Why, what do you 
mean, Nat ? I hope you certainly did not com- 
mit yourself by taking French leave from the 
ship ?" 

" I certainly did nothing else," replied Stephens. 
"I asked the first lieutenant for leave of absence 
till to-morrow morning, but it was refused me. I 
was, however, determined to pass the night with 
you ; and so, as soon as the men crept away into 
their hammocks for the night, and the ship be- 
came quiet, I slid slyly down the cable, and struck 
out for the shore on my own responsibility." 

" I am really sorry for you, Nat," said I. "You 
ought by no means to have done it. You will be 
detected and punished, mark my words; and the 
cat-o'-nine-tails are a less pleasant treat than even 
a sea bath in the dead of winter." 

" Come any other punishment than flogging, 
and I might be able to go it," muttered Stephens ; 



Five Yeaes Before the Mast. 417 

" but no cat-o'-nine-tails shall ever sully my 
back !" 

a But suppose you should be taken foul, as I 
was in the old Columbus, how would you avoid 
them?" 

u I know not, nor can I say what the feelings 
of other men may be in regard to them ; but for 
my own part I would as soon suffer death, as the 
articles of war say, as to submit to the degrada- 
tion." 

" Perhaps you may some day be put to the test, 
Nat, and then we will see whether 

The sentence was arrested on my lips by the 
clangor of arms at the street door, and before 
either of us could turn in our seats, two midship- 
men from the Fairfield bounded into the room. 
My looks glanced hurriedly to them and then at 
the object of their search, who instantly divining 
their errand, had risen to his feet. The blood had 
receded from the face of Stephens, who stood with 
the chair in his grasp, and muttered with trembling 
lips : 

" Let them keep off, that's all — I give them fair 
warning. Death will be the portion of the first 
one that attempts to take me !" 

"For God's sake, Nat/' whispered I, "don't 
resist ! It will only make the matter ten times 
worse, and perhaps bring your life in danger." 

The elder midshipman approached the table, and 
grasping Stephens by the arm, drew him into the 



418 Five Years Before the Mast. 

middle of the room with a hearty curse, while the 
younger wrenched the chair from his grasp. Their 
rudeness irritated the already awakened anger of 
the sturdy sailor, who raised his fist menacingly, 
but the unexpected entrance of one of the lieuten- 
ants caused him to suspend the blow. Perceiving 
the utter folly of resistance, he cast a despairing 
look to me, and suffered himself to be conducted 
into the street, where he was immediately surrounded 
by his official guard, and led off in the direction 
of the bay. 

I received my passport from the commander-in- 
chief on the morning following these events, and at 
an early hour repaired to the office of the French 
Consul to procure his endorsement to it, and to 
obtain also an order for my passage to Marseilles 
in the national steamer le Veloce. On my return 
I took a stroll on the high grounds fronting the 
bay, and my eyes glancing in the direction of the 
American squadron, I noticed the flag of the Fair- 
field streaming at half mast. The signal denoted 
distress, and as there had not been any sickness on 
board to have caused a death, I was at a loss to 
comprehend its meaning. Determined to unravel 
the mystery, I darted down the hill to the landing, 
and jumping into a shore boat, was soon alongside 
the ship. On gaining the deck, the first object that 
met my eye, was the national flag, stretched in 
folds over an object in the starboard gangway. 
This assured me at once that a death had really 



Five Years Before the Mast. 419 

taken place. Without addressing a word to any 
one, I hastened immediately forward, and on with- 
drawing the banner from the corpse, my eyes rested 
on the pallid features of Stephens. 

Poor fellow ! His last words to me had been 
made good. The cat-o' -nine-tails did, indeed, never 
sully his back ! The dread of official vengeance 
had driven him to suicide. In the dead of the 
night, when all was quiet, and the sentry stalked 
drowsily at his post, he glided silently from the bow 
ports of the vessel and plunged into the waters of 
the bay. The splash aroused the sentry, and 
though fifty men were at once called to the rescue, 
the irons incasing his ankles and wrists dragged 
him down beneath- the waters, whence no effort 
could bring him up until many hours after the vital 
spark had fled forever. 

" Alas !" exclaimed I, as I gazed once more on 
the inanimate clay which nine hours before had 
moved with life, health and volition ; " How 
strangely has his dream been verified. ' I dreamt 
of a funeral knell ringing at home/ said he. The 
church-bells of his native village will indeed send 
forth a sorrowful peal to the ears of the bereaved 
mother and sisters of the unfortunate young sailor, 
in far-off New England.' ' 

On returning into town, after my visit to the 
Fairfield, I accidentally encountered the mother of 
Frank. She had observed me for several days 
walking about the streets of Mahon, and concluded 



420 Five Years Before the Mast. 

that I must be in high favor with my commander 
to meet with such continued leave of absence. As 
Frank had never deemed it important to enlighten 
her in respect to my affairs, she as a matter of 
course knew nothing of my having been discharged, 
and I myself had no object in acquainting her with 
the circumstance. She joined me in my walk to 
her daughter's house and renewed her project of 
marriage, but I told her I had not yet made up my 
mind to do it. She then became anxious to know 
for how long a time I yet proposed to consider the 
subject. I observed that I should now remain a 
whole week in company with Frank, at the end of 
which time she should most certainly be made ac- 
quainted with my determination. This answer 
seemed to please her extremely well. She became 
quite free and easy in her discourse during the rest 
of our walk, and finding her daughter alone in her 
apartment, she immediately commenced rallying 
her on the idea of making a good Catholic of me, 
before the celebration of the nuptials. Having 
finally exhausted herself in agitating her own con- 
ceits, she left us to ourselves, and returned to her 
own lodgings. 

The eight days following the reception of my 
passports glided away without learning anything 
definite respecting the sailing of the Veloce. A 
portion of this time was spent at Port Mahon and 
a portion at Georgetown, the steamer lying at a 
point nearer the latter than the former place. On 



Five Years Before the Mast. 421 

the ninth day a French vessel loaded with coal en- 
tered the harbor and commenced discharging a por- 
tion of her cargo into the Veloce. Being in George- 
town at the time, I bounced into a shore-boat and 
boarded the steamer, where I was informed that 
preparations were making to put to sea at daylight 
on the following morning. This intelligence made 
it necessary for me to be on the alert. I hastened 
immediately to Port Mahon, and after ordering my 
chest and bedding from the hotel to the steamer, 
repaired to Castle street to take my leave of Frank. 
As mischief would have it, I found the young lady 
at tete a tete with her mother. Feeling the neces- 
sity of dispatch, I drew Frank aside and whispered 
my communication in her ear. Though anticipa- 
ting the object of my visit, the news of leaving 
startled her, and her mother observing her agita- 
tion inquired the cause of it. Perceiving the im- 
possibility of a further concealment of my actions, 
I told her at once that I was about quitting Port 
Mahon and had come to bid her and Frank good- 
bye. 

" Where you go ?" inquired she, in surprise. 

" To America," answered I, "to see my mother 
and sisters." 

" You ta-kee Frank along, and no ta-kee me ?" 
cried she in alarm. 

" No," said I, "I can take neither you nor 

Frank. I am going alone." 

She threw up her hands with a wild look, and 
36 



422 Five Years Before the Mast. 

giving a loud scream, tumbled insensible back 
on the settee. Frank flew to her assistance, and 
raising her up, began chafing her neck and temples 
with her hands but her efforts produced no signs of 
returning animation. A smelling bottle was next 
applied to her nose but with no better result. 
Frank becoming at length really alarmed at her 
situation, begged of me to hold her until she could 
procure the aid of a female neighbor. During her 
absence from the room the old lady began to retch 
and choke as if laboring under a fit of the croup. 
Frightened to excess at her ghastly looks, I seized 
a basin of cold water standing close at hand, and 
in my trepidation dashed the whole contents in her 
face engulfing her from her temples to her waist. 
She sprang to her feet as if a dagger had entered 
her heart, and while the water streamed over the floor 
from the skirts of her dress, she commenced pour- 
ing upon me the most withering invectives. She 
declared that I was a perfect savage — that I was 
unfit to have a wife — and that she would sooner 
see Frank laid forever in her grave than united to 
such a rude barbarian. In the height of her elo- 
quence Frank entered, upon which the mother aban- 
doned me and commenced upon her daughter. 
She insisted on my instant dismissal, and perceiv- 
ing that Frank only smiled at her vehemence, she 
denounced her as having disgraced herself and the 
memory of her deceased father in having ever coun- 
tenanced such a vile monster. The neighbor wo- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 423 

man judging from the turn things had taken that 
there was no longer any need of her aid, hastened 
from the apartment, and the old tongue-lashing 
bedlamite having at last exhausted her strength in 
bitter denunciations, burst into tears, and hobbled 
out of the house. 

Feeling the importance of every moment of 
passing time, I approached Frank. The same 
feelings which I had experienced in taking leave of 
my shipmates, on board the Fairfield, now returned 
upon me with ten-fold force. Her image had be- 
come so deeply interwoven with every fibre of my 
heart, that to leave her, was like tearing asunder 
my very life. I enfolded her to my breast in 
speechless agony ; and as the thought flashed over 
my mind, that our parting was not for only a day, 
a month, or a' year, but for an eternity, my eyes 
became filled with tears. Though deeply distressed 
herself, the trembling girl divined my thoughts, 
and, knowing the necessity of separation, sought 
to allay them. 

"Now, Azando!" said she, smiling through her 
own tears, " me know you like me very much, but 
don't you make one fool of you'n self." 

The words were few, but they told on my feelings 
more coldly than a December shower bath. Could 
she conceive my overflowing feelings the affectation 
of a fool ? "Bah !" thought I, " what a consolatory 
idea to one who believed himself beloved !" and 
hastily planting a farewell kiss on her rosy lips, I 



424 Five Years Before the Mast. 

tore myself from her forever, and rushed into the 
street. 

The national steamer Veloce, was the flag-ship 
of the French squadron at the port of Algiers. 
The Admiral had undertaken his present voyage to 
Marseilles, for the purpose of conveying home a 
regiment of soldiers, whose term of servitude had 
expired. The whole regiment was at supper on 
the spar deck of the steamer at my appearance on 
board, and soon learning that most of the compa- 
nies were composed of German and Swiss levies, I 
was not long in making myself acquainted at some 
of their messes. The lively and familiar manner 
in which all appeared to welcome an American 
sailor, was as gratifying to my feelings, as had 
been the kindness and attention manifested by 
their countrymen at Naples. 

Before I had been half an hour on board, a 
message from the cabin was announced to me in 
French, not a word of which could I understand. 
On asking an explanation from one of the soldiers, 
I was told that it was an order from the Admiral, 
desiring my presence in the cabin. Wondering to 
myself what business the Admiral could have to 
transact with me, I followed in the footsteps of the 
servant, who conducted me below. Here I was 
ushered into a spacious apartment, where stood a 
magnificent table, surrounded by some forty officers, 
both naval and military. On my appearance, the 
Admiral, a fat, fussy little personage, with a round 



Five Years Before the Mast. 425 

cannon ball head, hitched round in his chair, and 
after eyeing me sharply, said something in his own 
language that set the table in a roar of laughter. 
I felt extremely silly at my awkward situation, and 
turned my face aside to conceal my vexation. . 

"Parlez vous Frangais ?" said the Admiral, ad- 
dressing me with a comic look. 

The thought struck me, that by some means the 
Admiral had become acquainted with my love ad- 
ventures in Port Mahon, and was disposed to run 
a laughable joke upon me in the presence of his 
officers. 

" No sir," replied I. "If it is Francesca Mondora 
you mean, I know nothing about her. " 

" Hah ! Diable ! II ne comprendre !" exclaimed 
he with a disappointed look, while another laugh 
arose among the officers. 

I was disposed to tell him that if he wished to 
converse with me, to procure a German interpreter, 
but knew not how to make myself understood ; and 
besides, I thought if he had only brought me to 
the cabin to excite merriment among his com- 
panions, the less we could understand each other 
the better. 

" Vous come vrom one America ships de guerre 
le Fairfield ?" said the Admiral, with an attempt 
at English. 

" Yes sir," replied I bowing. " I was directed 
on board your ship by the French consul." 

" Oui ! Me comprendre all dat," observed the 

36* 



426 Five Years Before the Mast. 

Admiral nodding his head. " Supo-see vous Yankee 
ship de guerre got one goot shose — eatee him — 
vos countrymans call-ee she tobac — je like bite — 
here the Admiral's English unexpectedly broke 
down, upon which he cast an imploring look to his 
officers for aid. 

The servant who had conducted me below, now 
addressed a few words to an officer, who sat on the 
opposite side of the table. His communication 
doubtless referred to the circumstance of my having 
conversed in German, with the soldiers on deck, 
for the officer instantly addressed me in that lan- 
guage. An explanation now followed, by which I 
learned, that the Admiral was in want of some 
tobacco, and desired to know if an article of the 
kind, could be procured by sending on board any 
one of the American ships of war. 

On meeting with an affirmative answer, the 
face of the little Admiral brightened up with a 
very happy expression of delight. He ordered his 
gig to be immediately called away to convey me to 
the Yankee squadron, and following his cockswain 
on deck, directed him to remain half the night with 
me, on any of the American ships, rather than 
to suffer me to return without the precious weed. 

The day had been wet and drizzly, and the 
shades of evening were already stealing over the 
bay as we drew in sight of the Fairfield. The old 
quarter-master, Hull, was pacing the poop-deck, 
and after quizzing us through his spy-glass, mo- 



Five Yeaes Before the Mast. 427 

tioned our boat to the starboard side. The cock- 
swain followed the direction of the old sailor's 
hand, and rounded to, under the quarter. I heard 
a general commotion on deck, and saw the side- 
boys taking their stand by the man-ropes, as if the 
French Admiral were himself expected. The boat- 
swain commenced piping the side as the boat 
touched the ship ; but on seeing my familiar face 
ascending hastily to the gangway, he ceased ab- 
ruptly and retreated quickly forward in company 
with the side-boys, as if ashamed of the honors he 
was paying me. Mr. Hunter laughed heartily at 
the ruse they had played on themselves ; and on 
being made acquainted with the object of my visit, 
sent an order to the purser's steward, for two 
pounds of his choicest tobacco. 

On obtaining the object of my journey, and re- 
ceiving a few T letters from midshipman Habersham 
to his father, who was a Georgia senator, I took 
another hasty leave of some of my old shipmates, 
among whom was Mr. Turner, and returned to the 
French steamer. 

It was dark as Erebus by the time we regained 
the Veloce, and the Admiral's steward was on the 
alert to learn the result of my journey. I gave 
him the tobacco, with which he instantly disap- 
peared, while I in the meantime proceeded to the 
selection of a berth in the forward part of the 
ship. Before I had completed the arrangement of 
my bedding the ship's steward again sought me 



428 Five Year's Before the Mast. 

out, and drawing me along to the afterpart of the 
vessel, presented me a second time in the cabin. 
The Admiral and his party were still seated at the 
table, which was now covered with bottles. Each 
had^received a small portion of the two huge plugs 
of tobacco I had brought, and were evidently de- 
bating with each other in respect to its merits. 
The Admiral inquired the cost of it. 

"Forty cents per pound," said I. 

" How much is that ?" asked the Admiral of his 
interpreter. 

But the officer appealed to, seemed as ignorant 
of the sum as himself. 

u Quatre franc," said I. 

'' Ah, she one good tobac," exclaimed the Ad- 
miral, wrapping the plugs carefully up in the pa- 
per. u Quatre franc ! Begar, she cheap — supo- 
see she cost quinze franc," and putting his hand 
in his pocket, he threw me out three five franc 
pieces. 

I pocketed the cash with a smile, while the Ad- 
miral, pouring out a bowl of the most sparkling 
wine, drew me to the table and motioned me to 
drink. I raised the bowl to my lips, and after 
sipping a little, set it back. 

"Drink-e ! drink-e!" cried the Admiral. "Drink-e 
she down. She no hurt-e peoples — she be goot for 
de tete," added he, clapping his hand on my head. 
" Suppo-see you go drunk, me got tousand soldats 



Five Years Before the Mast. 429 

aboard le bateau- — hold-e him fast dat vous no fall 
in la mer." 

Grasping the bowl a second time, I tossed off 
the whole contents, and bowing my leave to the 
company, I made a hasty retreat from the cabin to 
my bed, for fear that the Admiral's soldats might, 
otherwise, be indeed called into requisition. 

At the first appearance of the dawn on the fol- 
lowing morning the anchors were weighed, and the 
steamer put upon her course to the northward. 
The weather was favorable for a fair run during 
the greater portion of the first day of our voyage ; 
but in the evening, as we neared the gulf of Lyons, 
a storm came pouring out of. the north-west, that 
for twenty-four hours kept beating us off our track 
in the direction of Sardinia. A change of wind 
occurred, however, in the evening of the second 
day, which enabled us again to breast up for the 
French coast, and early on the 25th of January, 
we entered the harbor of Marseilles. 

My first inquiries on quitting the steamer were 
directed in search of American ships; but the 
official dignitaries of the French marine being too 
illiterate to understand English, and too poor to 
afford an interpreter, yoked me up between two 
fat-pated gendarmes and marched me off to the 
American consul. At the office of the consul, I 
got released from my guards, for the sum of fifty 
cents, and was once more left to my own control. 

I was informed by the consul, that there were 



430 Five Years Befoke the Mast, 

but two homeward bound American ships in the 
port, neither of which would sail under ten or 
twelve days. I noted the names of both the cap- 
tains on a slip of paper; and on repairing soon 
afterwards to the harbor, I encountered the cap- 
tain of the ship Marcia Cleaves of Boston. She 
was posted up for New Orleans, and I immediately 
secured a passage in her to that place. As Cap- 
tain Thompson did not purpose sailing before the 
8th of February, there was no need of hurrying 
my traps on board his ship; and seeking out an 
English sailor's boarding house, I took up my resi- 
dence in it, and sought to pass the intermediate 
time as best I could. 

Marseilles is the commercial emporium of that 
portion of France bordering upon the Mediterra- 
nean. It has a beautiful and spacious artificial 
harbor, which is entirely cut off from the sea, with 
the exception of an entrance barely wide enough to 
admit single ships. The area of land on which the 
town is constructed, is of basin-like formation, as- 
cending gradually at every point from the Mole. 
The city itself consists of two portions, designated 
as the old and the new town. Both are, however, so 
intimately blended together, as not to be cogniza- 
ble any other way, than by the difference percepti- 
ble in the style of architecture and streets, both of 
which present a more contracted and antiquated 
appearance in the old than in the new portion of 
the town. The houses in the new parts are lofty 



Five Years Before the Mast. 431 

and commodious, and in external elegance, super- 
cede, to my taste, even the more lofty edifices 
of Naples ; while some of the streets are orna- 
mented in such a manner as to form the most 
magnificent promenades. The whole place con- 
tains near an hundred and thirty thousand inhabi- 
tants — is well watered by numerous and tasteful 
fountains artistically arranged — and presents, in 
addition, a rich display of monuments, public 
grounds, and shady walks. 

Captain Thompson having at last arranged his 
business in France, set sail from Marseilles on 
the 8th of February, and after a lingering voyage 
of near three months, arrived at the mouth of the 
Mississippi river. The ship was here taken in tow 
by a river steamer, and after another day and 
night I landed at the port of New Orleans. 

My first object, on my appearance at New Or- 
leans, was to find a vessel bound to the port of 
Philadelphia. I soon alighted on the packet ship, 
Chester, which I perceived was posted up for that 
place. The captain was in want of just one hand 
more to complete the number of her crew, and I 
immediately shipped on board his vessel as a com- 
mon sailor. Without seeking either a boarding 
house or hotel, I forthwith conveyed my luggage 
from the forecastle of the Marcia Cleaves to that 
of the Philadelphia packet. 

The ship was to haul down the river on the fol- 
lowing morning, and as my services were not needed 



432 Five Years Before the Mast. 

on board till the hour of departure, I passed the 
remainder of the day in rambling about the city. 
In the evening I repaired to the levee, and feeling 
somewhat hungry after my walk, I seated myself 
to a hasty supper in the market house. While in 
the act of discussing my lunch, my attention was 
attracted by a distressed looking woman begging 
alms of a sailor who occupied a seat at an adjoin- 
ing table. The features of the poor mendicant 
were so haggard and woe-begone that it was painful 
even to look upon them ; and when he to whom her 
complaint was made met her appeal with a blunt 
refusal, a despairing gloom stole over her face, 
and turning from him with a tottering step, she 
moved in the direction of the table at which I was 
sitting. Though partly concealed from her by the 
intervening crowd, her anxious eye failed not in 
singling me out, and reading a hope of benevolence 
in the national uniform which I still wore, she 
threaded her way to my chair. On encountering 
my looks she started with an exclamation of sur- 
prise, and sinking down on the pavement muttered 
my name, while tears began to course each other 
down her cheeks. There was a language in the 
accents of her broken voice that bespoke some by- 
gone incident of my own life ; but I could trace no 
living lineament in the withered face before me 
giving the least clue to its time or locality. 

"You appear to know me, madam," said I, after 
trying in vain to recall her person to remembrance ; 



Five Years Before the Mast. 433 

" but in what part of the country we have ever met 
before, I am entirely at a loss to determine." . 

" It is the first time we have ever met in this 
country," muttered she. " But have you, indeed, 
forgotten Rio Janeiro ?" 

I hastily ran over in my mind the names of the 
females whom I had known in Rio, and at last fixed 
on one. The accent was still perceptible, the same 
eye was there, but the face and form, alas how 
changed ! And yet, indeed, it was no other than 
Liz— Scotch Liz. She who had aided in sending 
poor Mary Mertle to an untimely grave ; she who 
had condemned me to a three week's thraldom in 
the Brazilian navy. My thoughts were instantly 
fired with indignation, and I inly resolved not to 
aid her a single cent. She doubtless read my deter- 
mination in my looks, for she suddenly commenced 
weeping afresh. 

4 Well Liz," said I, resuming my coffee, "your 
name recalls but few pleasing associations. Do 
you remember the press-gang ? Do you recollect 
the three weeks you gave me over in charge to the 
captain of the Prince Imperial ? Do you suppose 
those rare services can give you a very strong 
claim on my benevolence I" 

" Oh, do not recall the recollections of the 
past," exclaimed she, clasping her hands wildly. 
" If you could only know one-half the wretched- 
ness I suffered during my last two years' stay at 
Rio, you would forgive me. And then the horrors 

37 



434 Five Years Before the Mast. 

I endured in coming to this place — and even here - 
Oh Grod ! I have been but too dreadfully pun- 
ished." 

The wretched creature, as if overcome with des- 
pair, sunk back with a convulsive struggle on the 
ground. Two of the market women raised her up 
to a seat, and commenced applying restoratives. 
Having lost all further appetite for supper, I rose 
from the table, and after slipping a dollar into the 
hand of one of the women, to be given to Liz on 
her recovery, I made a hasty retreat from the 
market house, and proceeded on board the ship 
Chester. 

The Chester sailed from New Orleans on the 
morning of the first day of May, 1842, and after 
a run of twenty days arrived within sight of the 
Delaware capes. The northerly winds for some- 
time impeded our progress up the river, but after 
two days' incessant beating, all obstacles of wind 
and tides were finally surmounted, and I was once 
more safely landed at the beautiful metropolis of 
my own native state, after an absence of precisely 
five years. 

It was yet early in the morning when the Ches- 
ter was drawn into dock, and Captain Vandyke, 
paying me off immediately after she was moored, 
I repaired forthwith to the railroad depot in Broad 
street, and mounting the southern train of cars, 
arrived at Washington city on the afternoon of the 
same day. 



Five Years Before the Mast. 435 

On entering the principal street of the town* I 
bounded into the first fashionable hotel that pre- 
sented itself, and overlooking the congressional 
list, noted down the address of Senator Habersham, 
of Georgia. Congress being still in session, I 
sallied abroad in search of his boarding-house. 
Knowing nothing respecting the names of the 
streets or avenues of the town, I was obliged to 
make occasional inquiries in regard to the object 
of my search, and was eventually directed to an 
elegant mansion, situated in a quiet and beautiful 
portion of the city. Being in a good deal of a 
hurry, I approached the door, and rung the bell 
somewhat impatiently. 

Presently a lady of rather portly dimensions 
presented herself, who, as soon as her eye became 
fixed on my naval uniform, uttered a loud scream, 
and retreated hastily to the opposite extremity of 
the hall. Calling at the top of her voice to a big 
negro who entered at the back door, she desired 
him to advance and see what that impudent sailor 
wanted. Cuffy, whose uncouth appearance pre- 
sented, to my mind, far greater cause for alarm 
to a lady than my own, approached me with a look 
that seemed to threaten a kick-out ; but I stood my 
ground without flinching, determining to see the 
upshot of the proceedings, as well as the senator. 
On his demanding to know the object of my 
errand, I told him that it was to see Mr. Haber- 
sham. 



436 Five Years Before the Mast. 

" He is not in," cried the fat lady, advancing 
forward under the lee of the negro, " nor will he 
be for an hour; and besides, Mr. Habersham is not 
accustomed to seeing sailors !" 

" Neither am I accustomed to seeing senators, 
madam !" answered I, nettled at her haughty beha- 
vior. " So you perceive that, on our meeting, 
the breach of decorum will be mutual between 
us." 

Leaving the boarding-house of the senator, I 
retraced my way to the lower end of the city, and 
entered the rotunda of the capitol. After spending 
near two hours in rambling through the galleries 
and halls of this magnificent edifice, I returned 
into the city, and once more presented myself at 
the temporary residence of the honorable senator. 
The landlady admitted me this time with a better 
grace, though not without some shy scruples, and 
after discovering, from a short conversation, that I 
was not an actual savage, she became desirous of 
knowing my business with the senator. While 
pushing her inquiries to this point, an elderly gen- 
tleman with gray hair walked into the apartment, 
whom the lady immediately addressed by the name 
of Mr. Habersham. 

On learning that I was from the Mediterranean, 
the honorable senator divined the object of my 
visit, and leading the way into an adjoining parlor, 
began asking me a dozen questions relative to his 
son. I endeavored to answer them one by one, 



Five Yeaks Before the Mast. 437 

but the landlady, who had followed close upon our 
heels, interrupted me with so many inquiries di- 
rected to the senator, that the latter, appreciating 
the difficulty of explaining any thing before a 
woman whose whole composition appeared to be a 
category of words, suddenly bundled up his letters, 
and motioning me to follow, led the way up stairs 
to his own room, where he secured u& both from 
further interruption by locking the door. 

I remained to a late hour closeted with the 
senator, who gave me some useful instruction rela- 
tive to my business with the Navy Department, as 
well as a letter to the principal director. When 
about taking my departure, he observed that my 
own apparent accomplishments, together with the 
letters of his son, had given him such confidence in 
me, that he could scarce permit me to leave Wash- 
ington without doing something in my behalf. He 
then desired to know if there were not some office 
in the gift of the ,Navy Department that I could 
fill with credit to myself and honor to the govern- 
ment. If I could suggest any such, he was willing 
to become instrumental in procuring it for me. 
But I was too recently from the navy, to think of 
entering it again ; and besides, there was no office 
which would just then have harmonized with my 
views, aside from that of a lieutenant of marines, 
and I was conscious that there were too many ap- 
plicants for offices of this description among the 
sons of influential politicians, for a mechanic to 
37* 



438 Five Years Before the Mast. 

hope of ever attaining one. Hence I respectfully 
declined the proffered aid of the honorable senator, 
without even suggesting to him my wishes ; and 
thanking him warmly for the favorable estimate he 
was pleased to place upon my merits, took my 
leave of him for — ever. 

At the hour of nine o'clock on the following 
morning, I repaired to the Navy Department, and 
presented myself and my accounts before the chief 
director. Thence I was ordered to the fourth 
auditor, who gave me a draft for the amount of 
wages yet due me, on the Navy Agent. One hour 
afterwards I drew my cash at the counter of the 
treasury, and having now no more business to 
transact at the capital, in the afternoon I repaired 
to the railroad depot, and resuming a seat in the 
same car in which I had travelled the day before, 
was dislodged in Philadelphia early on the follow- 
ing morning 



61|^pfelr' ItoeK|fjj~It|li'8. 



Containing the writer's final leave of the reader as well as of his 
mistress. 



It was at the close of a beautiful May day that 
a young couple, a lady and gentlemen, might have 
been seen sitting in the back parlor of an elegant 
house on the south side of Walnut street, Philadel- 
phia. The furniture of the apartment was arranged 
with neatness and taste, and in the costliness of its 
material and finish betokened the proprietor, if not 
wealthy, at least a zealous votary of fashion. 
There was nothing very striking in the personal 
appearance of either of the inmates. Both were 
dressed according to the fashion of the times, and 
it would have required a person of nice judgment 
to have distinguished between the ages of the two. 
Few as were the years of either it was evident that 
time had already dealt severely with the lady. 
Pretty she had unquestionably been, for the lines 
of former beauty were still here and there legibly 
traced upon her features, but the sunken cheeks 
and sharpened visage denoted her indebted for her 
present bloom more to the artificial coloring of 

(439) 



440 Five Years Before the Mast. 

rouge and powders than to the roseate hue of health. 
The young man, who sat a short distance apart 
from the lady regarded her with saddening thoughts, 
and when at last she met his looks with a half mel- 
ancholy smile, displaying to his sight a row of the 
finest artificial teeth, he rose and approached her 
with a trembling step. 

Eeader, would you know who this interesting 
young couple were ? Be patient and you will yet 
learn. The one was the mechanic sailor who three 
days before had returned from the Mediterranean, 
and the other was the young lady to whom five 
years before he had addressed his love-letter on the 
eve of his departure from America. 

Alas ! how our affections change ! She whose 
name was sufficient during the first year of my ab- 
sence, to call up the loveliest sensations of joy and 
hope, had now become an object of perfect indiffer- 
ence to me, and I felt myself under a greater 
restraint in her presence than I would have done 
in that of an entire stranger. Yet I could not 
refrain from visiting her. I deemed the present 
interview a necessary one, and resolved to hurry 
through with it as expeditiously as possible. 

" Susan," said I, rising from her side and pacing 
the floor restlessly, " five years have indeed worked 
considerable of a change in both of us. You know 
there was a time when we were less strange to each 
other — when we had our walks and our conversa- 
tions, and when the hopes of both of us were, per- 



Five Years Before the Mast. 441 

haps, blessed with brighter visions of happiness 
than at present?'' 

" Yes," responded she, with downcast looks. " I 
have often thought of those brighter days during 
your absence." 

"And you remember, Susan," continued I, without 
daring to look at the lady, " that at that time — I 
mean at our former acquaintance — there was a sort 
of reciprocal prom — I scarcely know what to call 
it — a kind of mutual — hem-— between us ?" 

"Yes," muttered she, coloring deeply, " I believe 
there did something of that nature pass between us." 

" And do you still hold me to the engagement ?" 
inquired I. 

The poor girl was completely bewildered, and in 
her extreme confusion, appeared utterly at a loss 
how to answer. I seated myself again at her side 
and taking her hand cheerfully in mine, told her to 
give me my sentence and let me depart. 

"Come," said I, encouragingly. "If you have 
entered into other engagements tell me so. My 
long absence and neglect would render such an act, 
on your part, perfectly excusable." 

" Well," muttered she, dropping her head on my 
shoulder to conceal her blushes, "to tell the truth, 
there are other engagements which I fear cannot 
now be easily broken off." 

"Thank you! A thousand thanks!" exclaimed 
I, jumping up as light as a feather. "We will 
then advert no longer to old times, but look 



442 Five Years Before the Mast. 

brightly towards the future, and I give you my 
pledge never to interfere with any attempt to rival 
the affections of your present lover." 

" But you will call and see me again, to-morrow 
night, will you not?" said she, as we gained the 
hall door. 

"I fear not," said I. "To-morrow night I 
shall be many miles hence — perhaps in some dis- 
tant portion of the state," and with a parting smile 
from Susan, that brought to my remembrance a 
gleam of the beauty of former days, I descended 
into the street and sought my way to Franklin 
Place. 

To-morrow night did indeed find me an hundred 
miles on my journey westward, to the affectionate 
embrace of those dear ones, whose sacred images 
for eight long years, had been the nightly visitants 
of my dreams. 

And now, gentle reader, before I drop the cur- 
tain of my humble drama, permit me to indulge 
in a parting word with yourself. You have traced 
my career through five years of bustling adventure, 
turbulence and strife — you have seen me subjected 
to cruelty, privation and disappointment — cut off' 
from the intercourse of society — often friendless — 
always poor — but never dispirited. If the past 
has had its share of evil, it has also b$en attended 
with good — it has brought with it its store of 
knowledge. 

As to making a fortune, the idea has long since 



Five Years Before the Mast. 443 

passed away from my mind. Experience has taught 
me that he is not always the happiest man who 
sits on the biggest chest of dollars ; nor is content- 
ment to be at all times measured by land surveys 
and wire fences. There is often as much content- 
ment to be found in an humble cottage, as in a 
marble palace ; and he who has the faculty of 
adapting his tastes, inclinations and thoughts to 
any condition in life, enjoys a more valuable store 
of ^wealth than if in possession of the untold riches 
of California. This faculty I profess to have, in 
part, acquired ; and though still in plain shirt 
sleeves, and laboring away on the bench, I am yet 
happy in working out a more useful life than the 
non-producing millionaire, who shields his dignity 
behind a fortification of golden eagles. 

As to the sea, the experience of the past, awakens 
but little desire of returning to it ; but I feel no 
hesitation in saying, that were I once more about 
to encounter its yesty waves, as a seaman, I should 
prefer one of Uncle Sam's ships to any vessel that 
sails the ocean; not because of the emoluments, 
for they are slender indeed, but because there is a 
joyous animation pervading ships of war that super- 
cedes in the heart of a seaman, all consideration 
of dollars and cents. There is a pride in the 
American bosom that burns with nationality, and 
the sailor feels it above all others. He loves his 
country and his flag ; and if at times he meet with 
harsh treatment in their service, he consoles him 



444 Five Years Before the Mast. 

self with the reflection that he has also experienced 
that which is good. If the navy has an occasional 
Nicholson, it has also its Morgans and McKeevers ; 
if it present now and then a Gallagher, it yields 
also its Breeces, and its Tattnalls ; if it can pro- 
duce a Whittle, it can also furnish its Boyles and 
Hunters — in short, it yields on the whole, a greater 
amount of good than of evil ; and in no situation 
of life can we always hope to meet with the former 
wholly unalloyed by the latter* 

Our government like our country, is progressive, 
and swings the axe of improvement over the navy 
as well as elsewhere. Many rotten timbers have 
been lopped from it during the last ten years, and 
much more will yet be done. The navy will be 
gradually renovated until its moral elevation, as 
well as its discipline, will attain to a standard 
compatible with republicanism — until, like our 
"clipper ships,'' it will excel everything of a like 
kind in the old world, until its vessels will crowd 
themselves on every sea more numerously than the 
stars that glitter from its flag — and until finally, it 
will be the pride and glory of every native and 
adopted seaman, to claim affinity with its service, 
and to stand up before the world, in the full dignity 
of a freeman, exclaiming among his fellows, " I 
too, am an American sailor !" 

The End. 



il 



; ^ 



■I Hi 

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS i 



wBm 



mm 



022 042 007 3 



m Hi m 

mm 




wmmm 

11 IHffi 



